Energy weapon impacts...

[ArX]

If we place some 20 kiloton nuke on the ground and blow it up I think we all know
the effect that have on the people around it but... What about energy weapons ?

What would be the effect of firing some 20 kiloton star wars blaster bolt or star
gate goauld "staff" bolt straight down at the surface of some planet ?

Would it make big nuke like explosion, or would the blast continue deep down
underground and only make minor bang on the surface ?

[Lord Revan]

there's no fast and simple way to answer this, it could be anything from a "nuke without the fallout" to a "laser drill" based on minor charecteristics of the weapon in question as for your examples both seem somewhere between the extremes I mentioned, meaning there would be major devastation but not quite to the same extent as a nuke of similar yield.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

If we place some 20 kiloton nuke on the ground and blow it up I think we all know
the effect that have on the people around it but... What about energy weapons ?

What would be the effect of firing some 20 kiloton star wars blaster bolt or star
gate goauld "staff" bolt straight down at the surface of some planet ?

Would it make big nuke like explosion, or would the blast continue deep down
underground and only make minor bang on the surface ?

It depends on the nature of the weapon, and if it employs any handwavium bullshit. If you shot an 83.68 terajoule laser at a planet, the effects will depend on the laser's frequency. Most useful laser wavelengths are heavily attenuated by the atmosphere. An X-ray or UV laser would uselessly expend all that energy high in the atmosphere. A near-infrared laser would make it all the way down . . . at which point you'd end up with a blast effect very much like a kiloton-range nuclear weapon, only without the radioactive fallout. (The laser would shred everything at its point of impact, creating a cloud of hot plasma. This cloud of hot plasma would go on to absorb the rest of the laser pulse and expand rapidly, generating a supersonic shockwave of superheated air.

tl;dr version: Twenty kiloton laser of an appropriate wavelength will make a big boom on the ground.

As for some handwavium plasma weapon, what happens depends on how deep into the atmosphere the bolt's magic containment field holds it together. So you'll either get a multi-kiloton energy release high up in the atmosphere; or closer to the ground where it can do some damage. If the magic containment field manages to hold the bolt together until it has penetrated the ground, then you'll have an underground energy release that will behave just like an underground nuclear initiation. Only without the highly radioactive byproducts.

[Ryu]

20kt star wars blaster? Where in the hell did you get that ludicrous estimate? From Michael? He thinks the turbolaser is a thermal weapon, and it isn't. Any estimate he could make on the subject is therefore bunk by default.

[Ghost Rider]

20kt star wars blaster? Where in the hell did you get that ludicrous estimate? From Michael? He thinks the turbolaser is a thermal weapon, and it isn't. Any estimate he could make on the subject is therefore bunk by default.

If you want to refute said item, you just might want to put the proof forward rather then make empty accusations.

[Ryu]

20kt star wars blaster? Where in the hell did you get that ludicrous estimate? From Michael? He thinks the turbolaser is a thermal weapon, and it isn't. Any estimate he could make on the subject is therefore bunk by default.

If you want to refute said item, you just might want to put the proof forward rather then make empty accusations.

Give me some time to assemble evidence. How about I meet you and Michael Wong in a new thread in two weeks or concede the point? For purposes of clarification, this would mean I post before 9:30 (GMC-8) July 20, 2010.

EDIT: I would need his approval as well, before I start.

[adam_grif]

This isn't going to be pretty.

But I do believe we have a sub-forum specifically for such debates? The arena? The colloseum? Something like that.

[Teleros]

Terwynn - I wonder what the crater would be like afterwards. Smaller radius but deeper perhaps?

adam_grif - yes, it's the Coliseum.

Ryu - good luck .

[Ghost Rider]

20kt star wars blaster? Where in the hell did you get that ludicrous estimate? From Michael? He thinks the turbolaser is a thermal weapon, and it isn't. Any estimate he could make on the subject is therefore bunk by default.

If you want to refute said item, you just might want to put the proof forward rather then make empty accusations.

Give me some time to assemble evidence. How about I meet you and Michael Wong in a new thread in two weeks or concede the point? For purposes of clarification, this would mean I post before 9:30 (GMC-8) July 20, 2010.

EDIT: I would need his approval as well, before I start.

Or how about you demonstrate your proof?

I am not debating you. You made an empty claim, cited the wrong person, and thus in accordance to the rules of the board your are puttering on, have to back up your statement. You do understand this minor bit or are we going to have you bitch about your philosophical meanderings again?

[LaCroix]

What would be the effect of firing some 20 kiloton star wars blaster bolt or star
gate goauld "staff" bolt straight down at the surface of some planet ?

I'd love to see your proof for these yields. We have seen blaster rifles and Goauld staffs used and shot to the ground, resulting only in small craters and scorch marks. That's not even the equivalent of a kilogram TNT, lest a kiloTON.

If the Goauld staffs were kiloton range, and given the melee-stile attacks they do, every fight would be rather short, as the first hit on an enemy, the ground or a lonely tree results in a fireball which incinerates everything in a 100 m radius, and destroys all structures in a 2 km radius. Not even the Gliders show anything in the kiloton range.

Same for Blasters - the boarding scene would have zoomed out to a nice view of the Corellian Corvette exploding right after the first shots were fired if they were 20kiloTON

Hiroshima was done by a 15 kiloton bomb!

I assume you are confusing kilotons with kilojoules.

[Ryu]

What would be the effect of firing some 20 kiloton star wars blaster bolt or star
gate goauld "staff" bolt straight down at the surface of some planet ?

I'd love to see your proof for these yields. We have seen blaster rifles and Goauld staffs used and shot to the ground, resulting only in small craters and scorch marks. That's not even the equivalent of a kilogram TNT, lest a kiloTON.

If the Goauld staffs were kiloton range, and given the melee-stile attacks they do, every fight would be rather short, as the first hit on an enemy, the ground or a lonely tree results in a fireball which incinerates everything in a 100 m radius, and destroys all structures in a 2 km radius. Not even the Gliders show anything in the kiloton range.

Same for Blasters - the boarding scene would have zoomed out to a nice view of the Corellian Corvette exploding right after the first shots were fired if they were 20kiloTON

Hiroshima was done by a 15 kiloton bomb!

I assume you are confusing kilotons with kilojoules.

He's referring to a turbolaser, and yes, that estimate is several orders of magnitude too high even with that.

[Ryu]

If you want to refute said item, you just might want to put the proof forward rather then make empty accusations.

Give me some time to assemble evidence. How about I meet you and Michael Wong in a new thread in two weeks or concede the point? For purposes of clarification, this would mean I post before 9:30 (GMC-8) July 20, 2010.

EDIT: I would need his approval as well, before I start.

Or how about you demonstrate your proof?

I am not debating you. You made an empty claim, cited the wrong person, and thus in accordance to the rules of the board your are puttering on, have to back up your statement. You do understand this minor bit or are we going to have you bitch about your philosophical meanderings again?

Again, give me some time. I'll post a several thousand word essay on the matter. Until then, I have to gather images for comparison, and write a decent multi-paragraph essay, as I intend to try to combat Michael Wong's essay on the issue.

[Ryu]

adam_grif - yes, it's the Coliseum.[/quote

Shit, this is going to be nasty.

Ryu - good luck .

I'm going to need it...

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

He's referring to a turbolaser, and yes, that estimate is several orders of magnitude too high even with that.

Hello little sockpuppet. I can't help but notice that this is the second time you've made this assertion without really offering to back it up. You've been asked to demonstrate your proof once already.

Again, give me some time. I'll post a several thousand word essay on the matter. Until then, I have to gather images for comparison, and write a decent multi-paragraph essay, as I intend to try to combat Michael Wong's essay on the issue.

What, and give you the chance to obfuscate by dumping a steaming pile of bullshit that we'll have to sift through to work out what your points actually are? Or give you the chance to run away and hide and hope people forget before returning to snipe once more? How about you start laying out your argument right now?

[Ryu]

He's referring to a turbolaser, and yes, that estimate is several orders of magnitude too high even with that.

Hello little sockpuppet. I can't help but notice that this is the second time you've made this assertion without really offering to back it up. You've been asked to demonstrate your proof once already.

Again, give me some time. I'll post a several thousand word essay on the matter. Until then, I have to gather images for comparison, and write a decent multi-paragraph essay, as I intend to try to combat Michael Wong's essay on the issue.

What, and give you the chance to obfuscate by dumping a steaming pile of bullshit that we'll have to sift through to work out what your points actually are? Or give you the chance to run away and hide and hope people forget before returning to snipe once more? How about you start laying out your argument right now?

In both cases, no. But, considering what I'm up against is an essay that obviously took time, and Since my nearest posting opportunity will be 2 weeks from now, I reckon that's fair enough. I'll see you then, and goodbye.

[Ghost Rider]

Give me some time to assemble evidence. How about I meet you and Michael Wong in a new thread in two weeks or concede the point? For purposes of clarification, this would mean I post before 9:30 (GMC-8) July 20, 2010.

EDIT: I would need his approval as well, before I start.

Or how about you demonstrate your proof?

I am not debating you. You made an empty claim, cited the wrong person, and thus in accordance to the rules of the board your are puttering on, have to back up your statement. You do understand this minor bit or are we going to have you bitch about your philosophical meanderings again?

Again, give me some time. I'll post a several thousand word essay on the matter. Until then, I have to gather images for comparison, and write a decent multi-paragraph essay, as I intend to try to combat Michael Wong's essay on the issue.

Oooooooooor, you could get to the heart of the matter and demonstrate the math behind why you think Brian(note the link...the writer is not Mike) was off. And do you have even the slightest clue what an order of magnitude is?

I mean if he was that far off, it would as simple as going his values for iron, the amount of joules he used, any number of things. Your blithering of some monster essay with pictures and such not aren't needed if the man made this egregious an error.

[Ryu]

Or how about you demonstrate your proof?

I am not debating you. You made an empty claim, cited the wrong person, and thus in accordance to the rules of the board your are puttering on, have to back up your statement. You do understand this minor bit or are we going to have you bitch about your philosophical meanderings again?

Again, give me some time. I'll post a several thousand word essay on the matter. Until then, I have to gather images for comparison, and write a decent multi-paragraph essay, as I intend to try to combat Michael Wong's essay on the issue.

Oooooooooor, you could get to the heart of the matter and demonstrate the math behind why you think Brian(note the link...the writer is not Mike) was off. And do you have even the slightest clue what an order of magnitude is?

I mean if he was that far off, it would as simple as going his values for iron, the amount of joules he used, any number of things. Your blithering of some monster essay with pictures and such not aren't needed if the man made this egregious an error.

Yes, but the thing is that I need to prove my opinion, that the typical blaster is a kinetic weapon, not a thermal one. This will take longer. While it is true that I could write up a more than sufficient essay in two days, I won't be able to post again for two weeks. It isn't as simple as a clalculation, I need more comprehensive proof to get past all the flying sparks and scorch marks.

[LaCroix]

*snip*

Hiroshima was done by a 15 kiloton bomb!

I assume you are confusing kilotons with kilojoules.

He's referring to a turbolaser, and yes, that estimate is several orders of magnitude too high even with that.

[/quote]

BULLSHIT! He is using the term BLASTER, which is a teerm only used for hand-held weapon, and he uses it in the same sentence with a Goauld Staff, which is also a hand weapon.

I won't dogpile you on the Turbolaser bullshit, as the other posters have this well under control

[Ryu]

*snip*

Hiroshima was done by a 15 kiloton bomb!

I assume you are confusing kilotons with kilojoules.

He's referring to a turbolaser, and yes, that estimate is several orders of magnitude too high even with that.

BULLSHIT! He is using the term BLASTER, which is a teerm only used for hand-held weapon, and he uses it in the same sentence with a Goauld Staff, which is also a hand weapon.

I won't dogpile you on the Turbolaser bullshit, as the other posters have this well under control[/quote]

Yes, but Brian's essay, from which he got the number, was about turbolasers.

And no, there are some weapons mounted on starfighters referred to as "blaster" cannons.

[Norade]

BULLSHIT! He is using the term BLASTER, which is a teerm term only used for hand-held weapon, and he uses it in the same sentence with a Goauld Staff, which is also a hand weapon.

I won't dogpile you on the Turbolaser bullshit, as the other posters have this well under control

Actually the term blaster is used in terms of star ship weaponry you ignorant retard. Look up the main armament of a Z-95 headhunter some time.

[LaCroix]

Actually the term blaster is used in terms of star ship weaponry you ignorant retard. Look up the main armament of a Z-95 headhunter some time.

My bad, then. Still, the use of "blaster" and "Goauld staff" in the same sentence and as exchangeable devices implies that he was talking about hand held weapons.

[Captain Seafort]

My bad, then. Still, the use of "blaster" and "Goauld staff" in the same sentence and as exchangeable devices implies that he was talking about hand held weapons.

As with "blaster", "staff weapon" is used as a generic term for anything from a Jaffa's personal weapon to the main armament of a Ha'tak, and the example of a 20 kT weapon makes it pretty clear (at least to me) that the question wasn't about specific weapons, but your generic sci-fi energy bolt.

[Norade]

My bad, then. Still, the use of "blaster" and "Goauld staff" in the same sentence and as exchangeable devices implies that he was talking about hand held weapons.

As with "blaster", "staff weapon" is used as a generic term for anything from a Jaffa's personal weapon to the main armament of a Ha'tak, and the example of a 20 kT weapon makes it pretty clear (at least to me) that the question wasn't about specific weapons, but your generic sci-fi energy bolt.

You're not the only one, that was what sprang to mind when I saw it as well.

As for what they might look like, I would guess a deeper but not so wide crater followed by much the same effects as a large scale explosive device. That said, I'm no expert on these things so I could be 100% wrong.

[NecronLord]

I'd love to see your proof for these yields. We have seen blaster rifles and Goauld staffs used and shot to the ground, resulting only in small craters and scorch marks. That's not even the equivalent of a kilogram TNT, lest a kiloTON.

If the Goauld staffs were kiloton range, and given the melee-stile attacks they do, every fight would be rather short, as the first hit on an enemy, the ground or a lonely tree results in a fireball which incinerates everything in a 100 m radius, and destroys all structures in a 2 km radius. Not even the Gliders show anything in the kiloton range.

Same for Blasters - the boarding scene would have zoomed out to a nice view of the Corellian Corvette exploding right after the first shots were fired if they were 20kiloTON

Hiroshima was done by a 15 kiloton bomb!

I assume you are confusing kilotons with kilojoules.

As mentioned above, the phrase 'staff cannon' has been applied to goa'uld ship-borne armaments by various people including magazines not to mention the technical site run by various people here (back in the day) - goa'uld staff can easily be imagined to include kiloton range armaments given that. For example, Apophis' super-ship's main guns would count as such a thing.

He also used the term in quotation marks; suggesting he was referring to the type of blast, which was visually and audibly similar on motherships.


As for the actual question, I think that's been adequately answered but I should note that actual goa'uld weapons seem to have a reasonable kinetic component, somehow. So it's possible that a goa'uld staff blast would generate a larger earthquake and crater than an equivalent nuke.

[LaCroix]

I stand corrected.

Anyway, a blaster bolt like that entering the atmosphere should result in an effect like a huge lightning strike - a column of ultra-bright ionized air, possible resulting in a column of fire around it, hitting the ground and erupting in a huge fireball, pressure wave and mushroom cloud. The sound must be awesome - the mother of all thunder-claps, followed by the growl of the actual impact.

I agree that the Goauld weapon would definitely leave the deeper crater and less fireball, and probably would "detonate" underground after penetrating a good bit.

Thus, I assume the destruction caused by 'staff bolt' would be not as widespread, but more severe at the point of impact, while a blaster bolt would be between the staff and a real nuke in terms of destruction, as a bomb is much better suited to cause area effects.