If a nuclear warhead doesn't... How does a supernova do it?

Question

I was reading of some interesting series of events during the Kennedy administration during the cold war. The information was provided to me that over a couple of years, Russia and the United States of America were testing Thermonuclear devices in the outter limits of our stratosphere attempting to "knock out" radio communications by the produced EMP.

Through these readings I learned some obvious facts that werent really considered before, namely that a thermonuclear device will not dispurse a "nova" or circular shock wave, often misconceived by popular Space / Sci-Fi shows such as Stargate SG-1 or Star Trek. I'm sure you understand what I mean when I say it just fizzles out when a Nuke blows up in space, so I'm curious... When a star reaches its critical mass and reaches supernova, how does the star manage to throw energy waves into space where a nuclear device can not?
*I need more room* Continued...

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I've been taught in school, that stars regularly turn supernova, that this is a common event for stars after being around in space for so long. Also I've been told our sun will come to a point where it will turn supernova aswell, and will likely destroy the earth within the wake of this cosmic event. This suggests to me that a force unfathomable to me will be propelled from the sun, colliding with the earth, busting it to bits, or throttling us out of the orbit we used to have with our now, non existant sun. (granted we need the sun but would earth REALLY blow up?)

I would like to know of the destructive capabilities of a supernova, also the repricussions it will have on a planet nearby. Sorry for using 2 posts for 1 question, i just want to be specific Thank you for your replies, Its appreciated

In space is it not true that with the absence of gravity, mass may travel indefinately until the laws of "an object in motion remains in motion until equal or opposite force is acted upon it" apply in a very serious way? If so, then would it not be practical to suspect a nuclear bomb, yes being smaller, should still produce a outward force that could be measured from long distances.

Answer 1

Energy discharge will always move mass away from mass. Within the atmosphere, the discharge goes into the air, heating it, swelling it, pushing it away from ground zero. When anything vibrates at sufficient velocity (absorbs sufficient energy), a magnetic wave called light is released. Normally the energy is released over time in trillions of waves. An EMP is from the single super light wave that the molecules in the immediate vicinity cannot contain to slowly disperse.
When energy is discharged in space, there is little around to absorb and transform the energy, and so only the mass of the bomb's mechanism is affected, flying apart at super velocities drinking in potential energy as it quickly moves into much higher orbits.
When a star explodes, it's energy cannot be quickly absorbed into a higher orbit, but must push against all mass within its gravitational influence, to separate mass from mass as the energy discharge demands.

Answer 2

A nuke converts some of its mass into energy when detonated. It doesn't take much mass to create a lot of energy (E=mc^2). When the nuke is denoted with the earth's atmosphere, its energy is dispersed as a shockwave which is transmitted through the air and ground creating a powerful destructive force.

It is key that you do not use the word "circular", but "spherical". When a nuke or supernova, explodes it releases energy in all directions. The intensity of this radiation is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the explosion (just like gravity). So the effect of a supernova is as negligible as the effect of gravity when those objects are far away from us.

Answer 3

Consider why the airplanes that dropped nuclear bombs did not fall out of the sky due to the EMP created by the bomb. The density of normal, sea level air caused by the electromagnetic waves to die out long before it could reach the plane.

In space, where it is almost a vacuum, an EMP can travel still travel since it in not a mechanical wave and thus does not require a medium. Naturally, any device exploded in space is apt to "fizzle out"; there is simply too much space for it to make any real difference. Waves are still thrown about, only in insignificant magnitudes.

Answer 4

From Wikipedia: The solar does not have sufficient mass to blow up as a supernova. rather, in 4-5 billion years, this is going to enter a crimson super section, its outer layers increasing because of the fact the hydrogen gas in the middle is ate up and the middle contracts and heats up. Helium fusion will initiate whilst the middle temperature reaches approximately 3×108 ok. mutually as that's probable that the enlargement of the outer layers of the solar will attain the present place of Earth's orbit, modern-day study potential that mass lost from the solar before in its crimson super section will reason the Earth's orbit to pass further out, combating it from being engulfed. although, Earth's water and most of the ambience would be boiled away.

Answer 5

Because thermonuclear device is within earths magnetic zone so the energy wave mostly stays within the magnetic border limit.

Answer 6

Ok, first of all, you are trying to compare a nuclear warhead to something that can be 30x bigger than our sun.

Supernovas release so much energy is such a small space that it has nowhere else to go but out.

Think of it as comparing a firecracker to a Hydrogen Bomb...

Answer 7

Maybe it's because a supernova is billions of times bigger than a bomb, and contains that much more material, like heavy elements and such.

Maybe in this case, er, size matters?

Answer 8

I would imagine it is due to the mass of the star vs. the mass of a bomb.