How Much Energy Would It Take To Destroy A Planet Like Jupiter (For Powerscaling)
Destroying a planet like Jupiter would require an immense amount of energy. While it is not possible to completely destroy Jupiter as we know it due to its enormous size and composition, we can estimate the amount of energy needed by considering the energy required to disrupt its gravitational balance.
Jupiter's mass is approximately 1.898 × 10^27 kilograms, and to destroy it, we would need to overcome its gravitational binding energy. The gravitational binding energy is given by:
E = (3/5) * (G * M^2) / R,
where:
E is the gravitational binding energy,
G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.67430 × 10^-11 m^3 kg^−1 s^−2),
M is the mass of Jupiter, and
R is the radius of Jupiter (approximately 69,911 kilometers).
Substituting the values, we get:
E = (3/5) * (6.67430 × 10^-11 * (1.898 × 10^27)^2) / (69,911 × 10^3) = 2.440 × 10^36 joules.
Therefore, it would require approximately 2.440 × 10^36 joules of energy to disrupt Jupiter's gravitational balance. However, it is crucial to note that this value only represents an estimation and does not take into account the complexities of planetary destruction or the energy required for such a catastrophic event.