Knocking over a cup of coffee with an asteroid

[Leovinus]

Let's say that an asteroid the size of Texas hits the South Pole at 50,000 mph. You have a cup of coffee on your desk. How long will it take after the impact before the cup of coffee gets knocked over? Assume you live in Kansas.<br /><br />1) Immediately<br />2) Within 5 seconds<br />3) Within 10 seconds<br />4) Within a minute<br />5) Within an hour<br />6) Never -- it gets incinerated first <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[bonzelite]

would that not depend on the incident angle of entry?

 

[jatslo]

If thermal radiation was insufficient to incinerate the coffee cup, then the initial vacuum pressure will tip the mug within the minute.

 

[Leovinus]

Sorry. I meant to specify that it was a direct hit coming straight in. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

So you're saying that the impact felt through the ground wouldn't do it -- it would be the blast effect? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jatslo]

The Earth would shield the cup to some degree, but the radiation would also bounce down or reflect/refract, and this radiation could turn the cup to carbon, pending magnitude. I am not sure how much energy is released. The shock wave underground travels far faster than above the ground, so the tip would feel like an Earthquake at first, or sudden jolt within seconds: very bad for the coffee cup indeed.

 

[odysseus145]

Iplugged in a few numbers into the Earth Impact Effects Program and got this:<br /><br />Your Inputs:<br /> Distance from Impact: 14445.60 km = 8970.72 miles <br /> Projectile Diameter: 1287472.00 m = 4222908.16 ft = 799.52 miles <br /> Projectile Density: 3000 kg/m3 <br /> Impact Velocity: 17.00 km/s = 10.56 miles/s <br /> Impact Angle: 90 degrees <br /> Target Density: 2500 kg/m3 <br /> Target Type: Sedimentary Rock <br /><br />Energy:<br /> Energy before atmospheric entry: 4.84 x 1029 Joules = 1.16 x 1014 MegaTons TNT<br /> The average interval between impacts of this size is longer than the Earth's age.<br /> Such impacts could only occur during the accumulation of the Earth, between 4.5 and 4 billion years ago.<br /><br />Major Global Changes:<br /> The Earth is not strongly disturbed by the impact and loses negligible mass.<br /> The impact does not make a noticeable change in the Earth's rotation period or the tilt of its axis.<br /> The impact does not shift the Earth's orbit noticeably.<br /><br />Crater Dimensions:<br /> What does this mean?<br /><br /><br /> Transient Crater Diameter: 3160 km = 1960 miles<br /> Transient Crater Depth: 1120 km = 695 miles<br /><br /> Final Crater Diameter: 9070 km = 5640 miles<br /> Final Crater Depth: 4.6 km = 2.85 miles<br /><br /> The final crater is replaced by a large, circular melt province.<br /> The volume of the target melted or vaporized is 4.31e+09 km3 = 1.03e+09 miles3 <br /> Melt volume = 1.04 times the crater volume <br /> At this size, the crater forms in its own melt pool.<br /><br /> Thermal Radiation:<br /> What does this mean?<br /><br /><br /> Time for maximum radiation: 924 seconds after impact<br /><br /> Your position is inside the fireball.<br /> The fireball appears 82.6 times larger than the sun<br /> Thermal Exposure: 2.44 x 1011 Joules/m2<br /> Duration of Irrad <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[vogon13]

In other words, you must wear sunblock, and protective goggles.<br /><br />{Hey steve, its a friggin joke, don't overload a lobe on this}<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

Ok, so if the cup is exposed to the fireball, it will incinerate within 924 seconds. Otherwise, it will get knocked off by a 14.0 earthquake in 2890 seconds. ANd if it stays up after that, it gets blown over in 43800 seconds when the building is blown over. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jatslo]

I have the coffee cup; now all we need is a very large rock, so we can put this theory to the test. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[bonzelite]

odysseus, that is an awesome post.

 

[thebigcat]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>the size of Texas<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Why specifically Texas? Why not say "...the size of France..."? I mean, they are about the same size.<br /><br />Actually, if it hadn't been for Ulysses's wonderful answer I would have suggested using data from seismologists regarding the speed of sound waves through the Earths's crust over a disdance equivalent to the South Pole to say Topeka for determining the answer. That is if the mass and velocity of the impacting object is not sufficient to shatter the planet completely, which apparently it wouldn't be. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

Because I'm an American and I can relate to the size of Texas more so than the size of France. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Because everything's bigger in Texas. <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[spacefire]

an asteroid the size of Texas is humongous when compared to the current asteroid population that gets inside Earth's orbit. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[thebigcat]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>an asteroid the size of Texas is humongous...<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />I wonder what results Uly would get from that program if he entered the dimensions of a smaller state, like Delaware or Rhode Island. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Or heck, what about Manhattan? I seem to recall reading that the Earth-crosser 433 Eros is about the same size as Manhattan. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

I wasn't sure about what speed to use either, so I picked a number out of the air. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mikeemmert]

How about a "state" the size of a typical NEO? <br /><br />Like, maybe, the Vatican?<br /><br />An asteroid that size probably wouldn't do as much very long time damage to society as the Vatican has.

 

[odysseus145]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Why specifically Texas? Why not say "...the size of France..."? I mean, they are about the same size.<br /><br />Actually, if it hadn't been for Ulysses's wonderful answer I would have suggested using data from seismologists regarding the speed of sound waves through the Earths's crust over a disdance equivalent to the South Pole to say Topeka for determining the answer. That is if the mass and velocity of the impacting object is not sufficient to shatter the planet completely, which apparently it wouldn't be.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />I included a link to the program if you want to play around with it.<br /><br />BTW, it Odysseus <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>