Welcome to the Boston Astronomy website ...

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This website has been created by and is supported by a group of Boston, MA - area amateur astronomers. It is intended to be a convenient site to access news and information about astronomy and space-related activities of interest to the community and the public.

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Factor (Joules)	SI prefix	Value	Item
10−33		2×10−33 J	average kinetic energy of translational motion of a molecule at the lowest temperature reached, 100 picokelvins as of 2003[1]
10−28		6.6×10−28 J	energy of a typical AM radio photon (1 MHz) (4×10−9 eV)[2]
10−24	yocto- (yJ)	1.6×10−24 J	energy of a typical microwave oven photon (2.45 GHz) (1×10−5 eV)[3][4]
10−23		2×10−23 J	average kinetic energy of translational motion of a molecule in the Boomerang Nebula, the coldest place known outside of a laboratory, at a temperature of 1 kelvin[5][6]
10−22		2-3000×10−22 J	energy of infrared light photons[7]
10−21	zepto- (zJ)	1.7×10−21 J	1 kJ/mol, converted to energy per molecule[8]
		2.1×10−21 J	thermal energy in each degree of freedom of a molecule at 25 °C (kT/2) (0.01 eV)[9]
		2.856×10−21 J	By Landauer's principle, the minimum amount of energy required at 25 °C to change one bit of information.
		3–7×10−21 J	energy of a van der Waals interaction between atoms (0.02–0.04 eV)[10][11]
		4.1×10−21 J	"kT" at 25 °C, a common rough approximation for the total thermal energy of each molecule in a system (0.03 eV)[12]
		7–22×10−21 J	energy of a hydrogen bond (0.04 to 0.13 eV)[10][13]
10−20		4.5×10−20 J	upper bound of the mass-energy of a neutrino in particle physics (0.28 eV)[14][15]
10−19		1.6×10−19 J	≈1 electronvolt (eV)[16]
		3–5×10−19 J	energy range of photons in visible light[17][18]
		3–14×10−19 J	energy of a covalent bond (2–9 eV)[10][19]
		5–200×10−19 J	energy of ultraviolet light photons[7]
10−18	atto- (aJ)
10−17		2-2000×10−17 J	energy range of X-ray photons[7]
10−16
10−15	femto- (fJ)
10−14		> 2×10−14 J	energy of gamma ray photons[7]
		2.7×10−14 J	upper bound of the mass-energy of a muon neutrino[20][21]
		8.2×10−14 J	rest mass-energy of an electron[22]
10−13		1.6×10−13 J	1 megaelectronvolt (MeV)[23]
10−12	pico- (pJ)	2.3×10−12 J	kinetic energy of neutrons produced by D-T fusion, used to trigger fission (14.1 MeV)[24][25]
10−11		3.4×10−11 J	average total energy released in the nuclear fission of one uranium-235 atom (215 MeV)[26][27]
10−10		1.5030×10−10 J	rest mass-energy of a proton[28]
		1.505×10−10 J	rest mass-energy of a neutron[29]
		1.6×10−10 J	1 gigaelectronvolt (GeV)[30]
		3.0×10−10 J	rest mass-energy of a deuteron[31]
		6.0×10−10 J	rest mass-energy of an alpha particle[32]
10−9	nano- (nJ)	1.6×10−9 J	10 GeV[33]
		8×10−9 J	initial operating energy per beam of the CERN Large Electron Positron Collider in 1989 (50 GeV)[34][35]
10−8		1.3×10−8 J	mass-energy of a W boson (80.4 GeV)[36][37]
		1.5×10−8 J	mass-energy of a Z boson (91.2 GeV)[38][39]
		1.6×10−8 J	100 GeV[40]
		2×10−8 J	mass-energy of the particle believed to be the Higgs Boson (125.3 GeV)[41]
		6.4×10−8 J	operating energy per proton of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator in 1976[42][43]
10−7		1×10−7 J	≡ 1 erg[44]
		1.6×10−7 J	1 TeV (teraelectronvolt),[45] about the kinetic energy of a flying mosquito[46]
		5.6×10−7 J	energy per proton in the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2011 (3.5 TeV)[47][48]
10−6	micro- (µJ)
10−5
10−4
10−3	milli- (mJ)
10−2	centi- (cJ)
10−1	deci- (dJ)	1.1×10−1 J	energy of an American half-dollar falling 1-metre[49][50]
100	J	1 J	≡ 1 N·m (newton–metre)
		1 J	≡ 1 W·s (watt-second)
		1 J	kinetic energy produced as an extra small apple (~100 grams[51]) falls 1 meter against Earth's gravity[52]
		1 J	energy required to heat 1 gram of dry, cool air by 1-degree Celsius[53]
		1.4 J	≈ 1 ft·lbf (foot-pound force)[44]
		4.184 J	≡ 1 thermochemical calorie (small calorie)[44]
		4.1868 J	≡ 1 International (Steam) Table calorie[54]
		8 J	Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin theoretical upper limit for the energy of a cosmic ray coming from a distant source[55][56]
101	deca- (daJ)	5×101 J	most energetic cosmic ray ever detected, in 1991[57]
102	hecto- (hJ)	1×102 J	flash energy of a typical pocket camera electronic flash capacitor (100–400 µF @ 330 V)[58][59]
		3×102 J	energy of a lethal dose of X-rays[60]
		3×102 J	kinetic energy of an average person jumping as high as they can[61][62][63]
		3.3×102 J	energy to melt 1 g of ice[64]
		> 3.6×102 J	kinetic energy of 800 g[65] standard men's javelin thrown at > 30 m/s[66] by elite javelin throwers[67]
		5–20×102 J	energy output of a typical photography studio strobe light in a single flash[68]
		6.0×102 J	kinetic energy of 2 kg[69] standard men's discus thrown at 24.4 m/s[citation needed] by the world record holder Jürgen Schult[70]
		6×102 J	use of a 10-watt flashlight for 1-minute
		7.5×102 J	a power of 1 horsepower applied for 1 second[44]
		7.8×102 J	kinetic energy of 7.26 kg[71] standard men's shot thrown at 14.7 m/s[citation needed] by the world record holder Randy Barnes[72]
103	kilo- (kJ)	1.1×103 J	≈ 1 British thermal unit (BTU), depending on the temperature[44]
		1.4×103 J	total solar radiation received from the Sun by 1 square meter at the altitude of Earth's orbit per second (solar constant)[73]
		1.8×103 J	kinetic energy of M16 rifle bullet (5.56x45mm NATO M855, 4.1 g fired at 930 m/s)[74]
		2.3×103 J	energy to vaporize 1 g of water into steam[75]
		3×103 J	Lorentz force can crusher pinch[76]
		3.4×103 J	kinetic energy of world-record men's hammer throw (7.26 kg[77] thrown at 30.7 m/s[78] in 1986)[79]
		3.6×103 J	≡ 1 W·h (watt-hour)[44]
		4.2×103 J	energy released by explosion of 1 gram of TNT[44][80]
		4.2×103 J	≈ 1 food Calorie (large calorie)
		~7×103 J	muzzle energy of an elephant gun, e.g. firing a .458 Winchester Magnum[81]
		9×103 J	energy in an alkaline AA battery[82]
104		1.7×104 J	energy released by the metabolism of 1 gram of carbohydrates[83] or protein[84]
		3.8×104 J	energy released by the metabolism of 1 gram of fat[85]
		4–5×104 J	energy released by the combustion of 1 gram of gasoline[86]
		5×104 J	kinetic energy of 1 gram of matter moving at 10 km/s[87]
105		3×105 J—15×105 J	kinetic energy of an automobile at highway speeds (1 to 5 tons[88] at 89 km/h or 55 mph)[89]
		5×105 J	kinetic energy of 1 gram of a meteor hitting Earth[90]
106	mega- (MJ)	1×106 J	kinetic energy of a 2 tonne[88] vehicle at 32 metres per second (72 miles per hour)[91]
		1.2×106 J	approximate food energy of a snack such as a Snickers bar (280 food calories)[92]
		3.6×106 J	= 1 kW·h (kilowatt-hour) (used for electricity)[44]
		8.4×106 J	recommended food energy intake per day for a moderately active woman (2000 food calories)[93][94]
107		1×107 J	kinetic energy of the armor-piercing round fired by the assault guns of the ISU-152 tank[95][citation needed]
		1.1×107 J	recommended food energy intake per day for a moderately active man (2600 food calories)[93][96]
		3.7×107 J	$1 of electricity at a cost of $0.10/kWh (the US average retail cost in 2009)[97][98][99]
		4×107 J	energy from the combustion of 1 cubic meter of natural gas[100]
		4.2×107 J	caloric energy consumed by Olympian Michael Phelps on a daily basis during Olympic training[101]
		6.3×107 J	theoretical minimum energy required to accelerate 1 kg of matter to escape velocity from Earth's surface (ignoring atmosphere)[102]
108		1×108 J	kinetic energy of a 55 tonne aircraft at typical landing speed (59 m/s or 115 knots)[citation needed]
		1.1×108 J	≈ 1 therm, depending on the temperature[44]
		1.1×108 J	≈ 1 Tour de France, or ~90 hours[103] ridden at 5 W/kg[104] by a 65 kg rider[105]
		1.3×108 J	≈ The energy used by the fictional DeLorean in the "Back to the Future" movie series, traveling at 88 mph expending 1.21 GW of power as it passes from bumper to bumper through a planar singularity.
		7.3×108 J	≈ energy from burning 16 kilograms of oil (using 135 kg per barrel of light crude)[citation needed]
109	giga- (GJ)	1 .. 10×109 J	energy in an average lightning bolt[106] (thunder)
		1.1×109 J	magnetic stored energy in the world's largest toroidal superconducting magnet for the ATLAS experiment at CERN, Geneva[107]
		1.4x109 J	theoretical minimum amount of energy required to melt a tonne of steel (380 kW·h)[108][109]
		2.0x109 J	Energy of an ordinary 61 liter gasoline tank of a car.[86][110][111]
		2.0×109 J	Planck energy, the unit of energy in Planck units[112]
		3.3×109 J	approximate average amount of energy expended by a human heart muscle over an 80-year lifetime[113][114]
		4.5×109 J	average annual energy usage of a standard refrigerator[115][116]
		6.1×109 J	≈ 1 bboe (barrel of oil equivalent)[117]
1010		2.3×1010 J	kinetic energy of an Airbus A380 at cruising speed (560 tonnes at 562 knots or 289 m/s)[citation needed]
		4.2×1010 J	≈ 1 toe (ton of oil equivalent)[117]
		5×1010 J	yield energy of a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the second most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed[118][119]
		7.3×1010 J	energy consumed by the average U.S. automobile in the year 2000[120][121][122]
		8.6×1010 J	≈ 1 MW·d (megawatt-day), used in the context of power plants[123]
		8.8×1010 J	total energy released in the nuclear fission of one gram of uranium-235[26][27][124]
1011
1012	tera- (TJ)	3.4×1012 J	max fuel energy of an Airbus A330-300 (97,530 liters[125] of Jet A-1[126])[127]
		3.6×1012 J	1 GW·h (gigawatt-hour)[128]
		4×1012 J	electricity generated by one 20-kg CANDU fuel bundle assuming ~29%[129] thermal efficiency of reactor[130][131]
		6.4×1012 J	energy contained in jet fuel in a Boeing 747-100B aircraft at max fuel capacity (183,380 liters[132] of Jet A-1[126])[133]
1013		1.1×1013 J	energy of the maximum fuel an Airbus A380 can carry (320,000 liters[134] of Jet A-1[126])[135]
		1.2×1013 J	orbital kinetic energy of the International Space Station (417 tonnes[136] at 7.7 km/s[137])[138]
		8.8×1013 J	yield of the Fat Man atomic bomb used in World War II (21 kilotons)[139][140]
		9.0×1013 J	theoretical total mass-energy of 1 gram of matter[141]
1014		6×1014 J	energy released by an average hurricane in 1 second[142]
1015	peta- (PJ)	> 1015 J	energy released by a severe thunderstorm[143]
		1.0×1015 J	yearly electricity consumption in Greenland as of 2008[144][145]
		4.2×1015 J	energy released by explosion of 1 megaton of TNT[44][146]
1016		1×1016 J	estimated impact energy released in forming Meteor Crater[citation needed]
		1.1×1016 J	yearly electricity consumption in Mongolia as of 2010[144][147]
		9.0×1016 J	mass-energy in 1 kilogram of antimatter (or matter)[148]
1017		1×1017 J	energy released on the Earth's surface by the magnitude 9.1–9.3 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake[149]
		1.7×1017 J	total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each second[150]
		2.1×1017 J	yield of the Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever tested (50 megatons)[151][152]
		4.2×1017 J	yearly electricity consumption of Norway as of 2008[144][153]
		8×1017 J	estimated energy released by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano, Krakatoa, in 1883[154][155]
1018	exa- (EJ)	1.4×1018 J	yearly electricity consumption of South Korea as of 2009[144][156]
1019		1.4×1019 J	yearly electricity consumption in the U.S. as of 2009[144][157]
		1.4×1019J	yearly electricity production in the U.S. as of 2009[158][159]
		5×1019 J	energy released in 1-day by an average hurricane in producing rain (400 times greater than the wind energy)[142]
		6.4×1019 J	yearly electricity consumption of the world as of 2008[160][161]
		6.8×1019 J	yearly electricity generation of the world as of 2008[160][162]
1020		5.0x1020 J	total world annual energy consumption in 2010[163][164]
		8.0×1020 J	estimated global uranium resources for generating electricity 2005[165][166][167][168]
1021	zetta- (ZJ)	6.9×1021 J	estimated energy contained in the world's natural gas reserves as of 2010[163][169]
		7.9×1021 J	estimated energy contained in the world's petroleum reserves as of 2010[163][170]
1022		1.5×1022J	total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each day[150][171]
		2.4×1022 J	estimated energy contained in the world's coal reserves as of 2010[163][172]
		2.9×1022 J	identified global uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology[165]
		3.9×1022 J	estimated energy contained in the world's fossil fuel reserves as of 2010[163][173]
		4×1022 J	estimated total energy released by the magnitude 9.1–9.3 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake[174]
1023		1×1023 J	Amount of energy added to climate by anthropogenic greenhouse gasses[citation needed]
		2.2×1023 J	total global uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology[165]
		5×1023 J	approximate energy released in the formation of the Chicxulub Crater in the Yucatán Peninsula[175]
1024	yotta- (YJ)	5.5×1024 J	total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each year[150][176]
1025
1026		1.3×1026 J	conservative estimate of the energy released by the impact that created the Caloris basin on Mercury[citation needed]
		3.8×1026 J	total energy output of the Sun each second[177]
1027
1028		3.8×1028 J	kinetic energy of the Moon in its orbit around the Earth (counting only its velocity relative to the Earth)[178][179]
1029		2.1×1029 J	rotational energy of the Earth[180][181][182]
1030		1.8×1030 J	gravitational binding energy of Mercury
1031		3.3×1031 J	total energy output of the Sun each day[177][183]
1032		2×1032 J	gravitational binding energy of the Earth[184]
1033		2.7×1033 J	Earth's kinetic energy in its orbit[185]
1034		1.2×1034 J	total energy output of the Sun each year[177][186]
1039		6.6×1039 J	theoretical total mass-energy of the Moon
1041		5.4×1041 J	theoretical total mass-energy of the Earth[187][188]
		6.9×1041 J	gravitational binding energy of the Sun[189]
1043		5×1043 J	total energy of all gamma rays in a typical gamma-ray burst[190][191]
1044		1–2×1044 J	estimated energy released in a supernova,[192] sometimes referred to as a foe
1046		1×1046 J	estimated energy released in a hypernova[193]
1047		1.8×1047 J	theoretical total mass-energy of the Sun[194][195]
1047		8.8×1047 J	GRB 080916C - the most powerful Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) ever recorded - total isotropic energy output estimated at 8.8 × 1047 joules (8.8 × 1054 erg), or 4.9 times the sun’s mass turned to energy.[196]
1058		4×1058 J	visible mass-energy in our galaxy, the Milky Way[197][198]
1059		1×1059 J	total mass-energy of our galaxy, the Milky Way, including dark matter and dark energy[199][200]
1062		1–2×1062 J	total mass-energy of the Virgo Supercluster including dark matter, the Supercluster which contains the Milky Way [201]
1069		4×1069 J	estimated total mass-energy of the observable universe[202]