Collision Question: Asteroid Impact & Water Drop Effects

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on the hypothetical impact of a 10km diameter asteroid traveling at 0.99c and its effects on Earth, including the creation of a temporary tunnel through the planet and significant gamma radiation production. The discussion also explores the impact of a 1cm water droplet colliding with a thick steel wall at the same speed, highlighting the immense energy release of over 300 TeraJoules, comparable to five times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. Participants conclude that such high-velocity impacts would result in catastrophic consequences for Earth's biosphere and environment.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of relativistic physics and the implications of traveling at near-light speeds.
  • Knowledge of impact physics, particularly regarding large celestial bodies.
  • Familiarity with energy calculations in physics, specifically TeraJoules.
  • Basic concepts of shock waves and their effects on the environment.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the effects of high-velocity impacts on planetary bodies.
  • Study the principles of relativistic energy and momentum in collisions.
  • Investigate the production of gamma radiation during high-energy impacts.
  • Explore the physics of waterjet cutting and its applications in high-pressure scenarios.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physicists, astrophysicists, and engineers interested in impact dynamics, as well as anyone studying the catastrophic effects of high-energy collisions on planetary environments.

googolplex
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This question is kind of strange, but I'm fascinated by it... Say an asteroid 10km in diamter crashes into the north pole at a right angle with a velocity of 0.99c! I imagine that it would punch through the whole planet and whatever is left will exit from the south pole, creating a temporary tunnel. Would the "exit hole" be much larger than the asteroid itself? Would there be a substantial amount of gamma radiation/particle production? What would be left of the asteroid? Elementary particles and radiation? What kind of an effect would this have on the Earth and its biosphere? A related question is: if a drop of water 1cm in diameter collides with a huge (and very thick) steel wall at 0.99c, what would happen? How large of a "dent" would it make?
 
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Hmm, I know that waterjets are used to cut though pieces of metal under very high pressures. I wonder why the water does not vaporize at such high speeds, maybe it shoots at such a small distance there is no time for it to vaporize before it hits the piece of metal. The same might apply for your question, if water could travel that fast without something happening to it. Also, for the case of the asteroid, I don't think its practical to talk about anything of that size traveling at .99C, so to comment on how it would impact would be meaningless. I do remember seeing on tv once that when a BIG, asteroid collides with a plannet, its not a big kaboom, like in the movies, but its actually a quite slow impact. It creates big nasty shock waves and Earth quakes, vaporizes the atmosphere and does a whole bunch of other nasty things to the inhabitants.
 
Last question first: Such a droplet of water would have an energy of over 300 TeraJoules, or more than 5 times the energy that was released by the Hiroshima bomb. So, you could wipe out a city with it. So scaling up, your 10km asteroid, would have over more energy yet. It would vapourize earth.
 

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