Can Phaeton be destroyed or at least deflected before it collides with the colonized Demeter a thousand Terrestrial years hence?
No:
in that time, not enough antimatter will be produced to destroy it;
in any case, the debris from its destruction would end all Demetrian life;
lesser explosions would merely break off the outer crust;
the molten core precludes a foundation firm enough for an engine capable of changing the planetary orbit.
We know of fictional technologies able to move planets but no such technologies are accessible to the Demetrians or Lunarians.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
And of course fans of Anderson should immediately recall how, near the end of ENSIGN FLANDRY, rogue planet was discovered to be on a collision course with Saxo, the sun of Starkad. Saxo was an F5 already due to go nova relatively soon, in cosmic terms. The rogue would make the star explode far sooner, within a few years. There was only just barely enough time for the Empire to save some of the two intelligent races inhabiting Starkad. Also, for reasons similar to those at Demeter, blowing up the rogue would not help.
Sean
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