• Question: do you think that a star could be used as a weapon

    Asked by to Laurence on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Laurence Perreault Levasseur

      Laurence Perreault Levasseur answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      I think it would be extremely difficult, for many reasons. The most important one is that usually, when someone says ‘weapon’, they mean throwing something at someone. But in the case of a star that is almost impossible, because it’s so massive that it would take an unbelievable amount of energy to move the star just a little bit. (Also, how would you move the star? it’s about 5500C on the surface of the sun…)

      The only way I can think of this being doable is if you throw people at the star instead of the star at people. That would also be very efficient (but probably not what you had in mind…)

Comments

  • Photo: Dave

    Dave commented on :

    Hi! I know this is not my question but it’s a cool idea so I thought I’d comment! Stars produce a heck of a lot of energy, so if you could find someway of focussing that you’d have a very powerful weapon. I guess you’d need something like a really big magnifying glass to focus all the light into one beam, then you would totally have yourself a death ray!

    • Photo: Laurence

      Laurence commented on :

      haha that’s a very good idea! I hadn’t thought of that! Using the light is a pretty good way of making a weapon!
      Few weeks ago I was even playing with binoculars to make wood catch on fire (same idea, you focus the light of the sun on one point, so it becomes really hot and starts burning!)

  • Photo: Aimee

    Aimee commented on :

    in essence it already has been, the Hydrogen Bomb. Terrible waste of scientific genius and resources!