Event | Energy, J | Energy, Relative
--------------------+--------------+-----------------------
Two 3,500-lb. cars | 9.6 x 10^5 | 1
colliding head-on | |
at 55 mph | |
| |
Explosion of 1 U.S. | 4.2 x 10^9 | 4,271
ton of TNT | |
| |
Explosion of a | 8.4 x 10^16 | 87,500,000,000
20-megaton fusion | |
bomb | |
| |
Total U.S. annual | 1 x 1019 | 10,400,000,000,000
electric power | |
production, 1990 | |
| |
Energy released in | ~ 9 x 10^21 | 9,375,000,000,000,000
last second of | |
10^13 kg fragment | |
of Shoemaker-Levy 9 | |
| |
Total energy | 1.8 x 10^22 | 18,750,000,000,000,000
released by 1013-kg | |
fragment of | |
Shoemaker-Levy 9 | |
| |
Total sunlight on | 6.6 x 10^22 | 68,750,000,000,000,000
Jupiter for one day | |
--------------------+--------------+-----------------------
*1 BTU = 252 (small) calories = 1,055 J = 2.93 x 10-4 kWh.
Power Producer | Power, MW | Power, Relative
------------------------+-------------+------------------------
Hoover Dam. | 1,345 | 1
| |
Grand Coulee Dam, final | 9,700 7.2
plant. | |
| |
Annual average, sum of | 320,000 | 238
all U.S. power plants. | |
| |
Average, impact of |~ 9 x 10^15 | 6,700,000,000,000t
1013-kg fragment of | |
Shoemaker-Levy 9, | |
final sec | |
| |
Sun | 3.8 x 1020 | 280,000,000,000,000,000
---------------------------------------------------------------
*1 horsepower = 745.7 W = 7.457 x 10-4 MW.
Object | Radius, km | Volume, km^3
-----------------------+-------------------------+--------------
Jupiter | 71,350 (Equatorial) | 1.4 x 10^15
| 67,310 (Polar) |
| |
Earth | 6,378 (Equatorial) | 1.1 x 10^12
| 6,357 (Polar) |
| |
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 | 4.5 (Equivalent sphere) | 382
| |
Comet Halley | 7.65 x 3.60 x 3.61 | 365
----------------------------------------------------------------
*1 mi. = 1.609 km
Object | Magnitude Vo | Relative Brightness
--------------------+---------------+--------------------
Largest fragment of |~ -10 | 1,000
Shoemaker-Levy 9 | |
during last second | |
| |
Jupiter | -2.5 | 1
| |
Ganymede | 4.6 | 1/692
| |
Io | 5.0 | 1/1,000
| |
Largest fragment of | 23.7 | 1/30,000,000,000
Shoemaker-Levy 9 | |
as viewed today | |
--------------------+---------------+--------------------
Table of Contents
Appendix B