When a gravitational source exerts a force on an object, since each point on the object is not at the same distance from the gravitational source, it will receive different gravitational forces, resulting in a gravitational difference and a tearing effect on the object. This gravitational difference is the tidal force.
Magnifying this concept into the universe, tidal forces are everywhere.
When an object is massive enough, it becomes a source of gravity.
In space, whether it is the shining and heating sun, the blue star itself, or the moon rotating around the blue star, as well as many planets in the solar system, they are all sources of gravity.
However, under normal circumstances, tidal force cannot tear an object into pieces. The simplest example is the blue star itself.
The Blue Star itself is subject to the dual influence of the two gravitational sources of the Moon and the Sun. The tidal phenomenon on the Blue Star is a manifestation of tidal force, but the Blue Star itself is not torn apart by the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon.
But the meteorite that's about to hit Blue Star is different.
First of all, its size is not too big, but it is not too small either. After entering the Earth-Moon system, it was affected by the triple gravitational pull from the moon, blue stars and the sun.
Originally, the strength of the meteorite itself would prevent it from being torn apart by the Blue Star's gravity, but who allowed it to threaten the safety of the Blue Star? It was drilled and then exploded in the center
The nuclear bomb detonated by the Federation on the meteorite did split the meteorite into two pieces, but it also destroyed the original internal structure of the meteorite.
To put it simply, the nuclear bomb detonated by the Federation not only exploded the meteorite, but also caused cracks in the two parts that were exploded.
If you just leave it alone and ignore it, that's fine. But when the trajectory of the meteorite gradually approaches the blue star, and is increasingly affected by the blue star's gravity, or even simply captured by the blue star's gravity, the problem arises. .
It's like a bed sheet. When it's in good condition, three people can't tear it apart. But when someone pokes a big hole in the middle of the bed sheet and tears it into two pieces, the remaining piece is torn apart by three people. The sheet can be easily torn along the rupture.
Therefore, by the same token, the already cracked meteorite was torn into three parts by the dual effects of the gravity of the blue star and the moon, plus the gravitational influence of the sun. Under the triple force, the already cracked meteorite was torn into three parts.
It doesn't matter if the meteorites are torn into three parts. If they continue to fly according to their previous trajectory, it will be nothing more than three meteorites passing by the Blue Star.
But the problem is that after the meteorite was torn apart, it split into three parts and its weight also decreased. This caused the three meteorites to be captured by the blue star's gravity and flew towards the blue star.
On a cosmic scale, this matter is extremely small. It is just a few meteorites. Whether it is the moon or the blue star, it is just insignificant dust.
In fact, meteorites ranging from dozens to hundreds of tons fall on the Blue Star every day. However, most of them fall in uninhabited places or are burned by the atmosphere before they hit the ground. They can really fall to the surface to form The number of impacts is very small.
Therefore, from a cosmic perspective, the matter of meteorite impact is really nothing.
But looking at it from another perspective, a meteorite impact would be fatal.
Modern human civilization is okay. Technology has advanced to a certain level. Humanity has also begun to set foot outside the home planet. It has also developed a certain ability to withstand and defend against disasters of this level. It is more or less able to preserve a little bit of humanity in the face of disasters. The fire of civilization.
But what if the meteorite impact occurred in the past when human technology was less developed
There is no need to push forward too long. In the 18th century only two hundred years ago, if a meteorite impact of the current scale occurred, then human civilization would be like the dinosaurs, taking their hands off the keyboard and typing GG.
Because the technological level of the steam age two hundred years ago was simply incapable of dealing with such a disaster, and could not even dig a shelter to evacuate.
However, even though modern human civilization has gradually begun to have the power to deal with such disasters, our ability to deal with disasters is still limited.
The rescue operation that gathered almost all the resources on the Blue Star was almost half successful, but now the meteorite that was originally supposed to be pushed away from the impact orbit was not only pulled back by the gravity of the Blue Star, but also split into three pieces. This undoubtedly made When the leaders of various countries learned about this, their blood pressure immediately increased and their heartbeats jumped to 120.
We haven't even finished one four-kilometer section, and now there are three more five-kilometer sections. All previous efforts have been in vain. The crisis facing mankind has not been alleviated in the slightest, but has become more serious.
Faced with this situation, leaders from all over the world want to curse: What a cheat!
But now that four meteorites are heading towards Blue Star, they cannot give up on blocking them and wait for the meteorites to fall. So even though they want to give up, the leaders of various countries still convened an emergency meeting to discuss How to handle the immediate crisis.
"Four meteorites are currently flying towards the Blue Star at a speed of S. If nothing unexpected happens, they will hit the Blue Star in a few hours." A scientist from the United Nations Action Team was holding a report to the participating countries at this time. The leader reported that in addition to reporting the time of the meteorite impact, he also gave the impact point of the meteorite impact: "According to orbital calculations, the location of the meteorite impact is likely to be North America and the Pacific Ocean."
Scientists did not talk about the disaster caused by the impact, because everyone knows that if all four meteorites fall, then there is no need to consider what will happen in the future. Human beings will most likely be extinct like the dinosaurs.
Therefore, the top priority is to find a way to stop these four meteorites and prevent them from hitting the Blue Star.
At least don't let them all fall down.
"What other ways do we have to intercept those meteorites now?" Faced with this crisis, the leader of the Yan Kingdom took the lead in asking. At this time, only the leaders of the top five Blue Stars could still think about intercepting. .
"In fact, we have no good solution. In these few hours, even if we want to launch the spacecraft and perform an interception mission, we don't have enough time. There is no time for refueling, and there are no ready-made spacecrafts." The British leader was in a very heavy mood at this time, and the expression on his face was one of despair.
As an island country, Britain has neither enough depth nor sufficient resources. Its ability to respond to such a world-class disaster is really limited.
However, the leader of Lucia had different opinions at this time. He said very firmly and forcefully: "We still have the last resort! Our Lucia spacecraft is still in space, and with them are more than 20 people we launched. Nuclear bombs! These nuclear bombs are enough to crush these meteorites!”
Leader Lucia's words made everyone's eyes light up. This was indeed their last resort and the only good news at the moment. (End of chapter)