explosions in space

This has all reminded me of a gripe/query about planets exploding.

In Star Trek: Generations AND in Star Wars: 2nd edition, planets explode, and a
RING of debris/energy is sent out from them.

WHY a RING?

Why not a sphere?


Dominic.

"I don't do whatever everyone else does." [Klitos Kyriacou]

On Thu, 15 Jan 1998, Dominic Thomas wrote:
A ring is more interesting to look at. Gives the sfx people more to work
with. (An expanding sphere quite boring really.)

Besides, if an object like a planet implodes, then the irregularity of
shape could cause resultant explosion to form a ring. As the matter
collapses in on itself, assuming a stretched or squashed sphere, the
energy within would escape through the weakest points, in this case a ring
around the equator.

Probably.

Ben
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Well maybe. Did you know that the earch is not actually a sphere?
It's a deformed football. Take an inflated football and sit on
it. You get something thats shaped rather like the earth.

I seem to recall that it's due to the earth spinning and the
interactions of centrefugal (petal whatever) and gravity.

So I suppose if you remove forces holding it together, the various
parts of the Earth might spread out to form a ring. I'd hate to
be the one to model it though.

Of course the Deathstar doesn't spin. So you'd need a different
explanation.

Later,

---

Adam Hattrell, Support, Cimio Ltd. adam@

On Thursday, January 15, 1998 2:50 PM, Dominic Thomas
[SMTP:dthomas@] wrote:
Becasue it would look like a ring if you looked at it from such a
place... You would have nothing to use as a reference point, and a
sphere would look like a ring from far away...

Gordan

On Thu, 15 Jan 1998, Gordan Bobic wrote:
No, you're wrong. In each case, you have the main explosion in the middle
as a reference point. Usually that explodes normaslly, but a ring precedes
it. See Star Wars with the new effects, and watch the death star.

Ben
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Dominic Thomas said:
Also very obvious in stargate, and on at least one occasion (and this
REALLY dissappointed me), B5.

I'm not going to answer the question, but I couldn't help noticing
that the solar system is remarkably 2-dimensional too.

---

Nick Waterman. Network Consultant / Sysadmin - LEOnet
Beating tomorrow's technology into submission.
nick-sig@ Team *AMIGA*!
DOS: Defunct Operating System

On Thu, 15 Jan 1998, Nick Waterman wrote:
And on Star Wars Special Ed.
That's cos it's spinning, ya fool.
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| IVE SEEN THE FU *---------------------------*
| S T |
| R U |
| UCER STI DNA ER |
*-----------------*

O _____________
/ \ /3
o / X BAD \ / 3
< Fish X 3
. \__ TRIP / \ 3
/____________/ \3

If you remember, in the original Star Wars the planets did explode
in a sphere, which I thought made much more sense. However, the Second
Edition wanted effects to impress a modern audience, rather than
physicists, so they went with the ring. You have to admit, it looks a
lot better!

James H.