Gravitational Binding Energy

What is it?
U = (3)*(Gravitational Constant)*(M^2) / (5*r) U = Gravitational Binding Energy (in joules) Gravitational Constant = 6.67408e-11 M = Mass of the body (mass of the planet) r = radius of the body (radius of the planet in meters) {quote|the explosion of a star in which the star may reach a maximum intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun}}
 * Gravitational Binding Energy is the minimum amount of energy that needs to be applied to an astronomical body for that body to permanently split apart from its original state.
 * If the energy applied to the astronomical body is greater than that of body's GBE, the matter that makes up the composition of the planet will not reform itself/be bound to said body's own gravity but will continue to spread outwards.
 * This also means that if the energy applies does not exceed the body's GBE, the planet will eventually form itself back together in one piece, regardless of the physical state the body is in.
 * Here is the formula for Gravitational Binding Energy shown below.
 * Not entirely sure about the gravitational binding energy of stars, as stars are generally composed differently in comparison to planets, thus their density is different in comparison to a planet that is composed of mostly solid material.
 * However, one way to solve the issue when it comes to the destruction of stars (as well as the energy required to do so) is to just use the energy required for a supernova. The definition of a supernova is...
 * The approximate value for a supernova is exactly 1 foe, equal to 1e44 joules worth of energy.