Orders of magnitude (energy)

This list compares various energies in joules (J), organized by order of magnitude.

Below 1 J

List of orders of magnitude for energy

Factor (joules)	SI prefix	Value	Item
10−35		1×10−35 J	Optical dipole potential measured in a tune-out experiment with ultracold metastable helium[1].
10−34		6.626×10−34 J	Energy of a photon with a frequency of 1 hertz.[2][3], equivalent to 4.14×10−15 eV or, alternatively stated, One two-hundred-fifty-trillionth of one eV.)
		8×10−34 J	Average kinetic energy of translational motion of a molecule at the lowest temperature reached (38 picokelvin[4] as of 2021[update][5])
10−30	quecto- (qJ)
10−28		6.6×10−28 J	Energy of a typical AM radio photon (1 MHz) (4×10−9 eV)[6]
10−27	ronto- (rJ)
10−24	yocto- (yJ)	1.6×10−24 J	Energy of a typical microwave oven photon (2.45 GHz) (1×10−5 eV)[7][8]
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[9][10]
10−22		2–3000×10−22 J	Energy of infrared light photons[11]
10−21	zepto- (zJ)	1.7×10−21 J	1 kJ/mol, converted to energy per molecule[12]
		2.1×10−21 J	Thermal energy in each degree of freedom of a molecule at 25 °C (kT/2) (0.01 eV)[13]
		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)[14][15]
		4.1×10−21 J	The "kT" constant at 25 °C, a common rough approximation for the total thermal energy of each molecule in a system (0.03 eV)[16]
		7–22×10−21 J	Energy of a hydrogen bond (0.04 to 0.13 eV)[14][17]
10−20		4.5×10−20 J	Upper bound of the mass–energy of a neutrino in particle physics (0.28 eV)[18][19]
10−19		1.602176634×10−19 J	1 electronvolt (eV) by definition. This value is exact as a result of the 2019 revision of SI units.[20]
		3–5×10−19 J	Energy range of photons in visible light (≈1.6–3.1 eV)[21][22]
		3–14×10−19 J	Energy of a covalent bond (2–9 eV)[14][23]
		5–200×10−19 J	Energy of ultraviolet light photons[11]
10−18	atto- (aJ)	1.78×10−18 J	Bond dissociation energy for the carbon monoxide (CO) triple bond, alternatively stated: 1072 kJ/mol; 11.11eV per molecule.[24] This is the strongest chemical bond known.
		2.18×10−18 J	Ground state ionization energy of hydrogen (13.6 eV)
10−17		2–2000×10−17 J	Energy range of X-ray photons[11]
10−16
10−15	femto- (fJ)	3 × 10−15 J	Average kinetic energy of one human red blood cell.[25][26][27]
10−14		1×10−14 J	Sound energy (vibration) transmitted to the eardrums by listening to a whisper for one second.[28][29][30]
		> 2×10−14 J	Energy of gamma ray photons[11]
		2.7×10−14 J	Upper bound of the mass–energy of a muon neutrino[31][32]
		8.2×10−14 J	Rest mass–energy of an electron[33] (0.511 MeV)[34]
10−13		1.6×10−13 J	1 megaelectronvolt (MeV)[35]
		2.3×10−13 J	Energy released by a single event of two protons fusing into deuterium (1.44 megaelectronvolt MeV)[36]
10−12	pico- (pJ)	2.3×10−12 J	Kinetic energy of neutrons produced by DT fusion, used to trigger fission (14.1 MeV)[37][38]
10−11		3.4×10−11 J	Average total energy released in the nuclear fission of one uranium-235 atom (215 MeV)[39][40]
10−10		1.492×10−10 J	Mass-energy equivalent of 1 Da[41] (931.5 MeV)[42]
		1.503×10−10 J	Rest mass–energy of a proton[43] (938.3 MeV)[44]
		1.505×10−10 J	Rest mass–energy of a neutron[45] (939.6 MeV)[46]
		1.6×10−10 J	1 gigaelectronvolt (GeV)[47]
		3×10−10 J	Rest mass–energy of a deuteron[48]
		6×10−10 J	Rest mass–energy of an alpha particle[49]
		7×10−10 J	Energy required to raise a grain of sand by 0.1mm (the thickness of a piece of paper).[50]
10−9	nano- (nJ)	1.6×10−9 J	10 GeV[51]
		8×10−9 J	Initial operating energy per beam of the CERN Large Electron Positron Collider in 1989 (50 GeV)[52][53]
10−8		1.3×10−8 J	Mass–energy of a W boson (80.4 GeV)[54][55]
		1.5×10−8 J	Mass–energy of a Z boson (91.2 GeV)[56][57]
		1.6×10−8 J	100 GeV[58]
		2×10−8 J	Mass–energy of the Higgs Boson (125.1 GeV)[59]
		6.4×10−8 J	Operating energy per proton of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator in 1976[60][61]
10−7		1×10−7 J	≡ 1 erg[62]
		1.6×10−7 J	1 TeV (teraelectronvolt),[63] about the kinetic energy of a flying mosquito[64]
10−6	micro- (μJ)	1.04×10−6 J	Energy per proton in the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2015 (6.5 TeV)[65][66]
10−5
10−4		1.0×10−4 J	Energy released by a typical radioluminescent wristwatch in 1 hour[67][68] (1 μCi × 4.871 MeV × 1 hr)
10−3	milli- (mJ)	3.0×10−3 J	Energy released by a P100 atomic battery in 1 hour[69] (2.4 V × 350 nA × 1 hr)
10−2	centi- (cJ)	4.0×10−2 J	Use of a typical LED for 1 second[70] (2.0 V × 20 mA × 1 s)
10−1	deci- (dJ)	1.1×10−1 J	Energy of an American half-dollar falling 1 metre[71][72]

1 to 105 J

List of orders of magnitude for energy

Factor (joules)	SI prefix	Value	Item
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[73]) falls 1 meter against Earth's gravity[74]
		1 J	Energy required to heat 1 gram of dry, cool air by 1 degree Celsius[75]
		1.4 J	≈ 1 ft·lbf (foot-pound force)[62]
		4.184 J	≡ 1 thermochemical calorie (small calorie)[62]
		4.1868 J	≡ 1 International (Steam) Table calorie[76]
		8 J	Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin theoretical upper limit for the energy of a cosmic ray coming from a distant source[77][78]
101	deca- (daJ)	1×101 J	Flash energy of a typical pocket camera electronic flash capacitor (100–400 μF @ 330 V)[79][80]
		5×101 J	The most energetic cosmic ray ever detected.[81] Most likely a single proton traveling only very slightly slower than the speed of light.[82]
102	hecto- (hJ)	1.25×102 J	Kinetic energy of a regulation (standard) baseball (5.1 oz / 145 g)[83] thrown at 93 mph / 150 km/h (MLB average pitch speed).[84]
		1.5×102 - 3.6×102 J	Energy delivered by a biphasic external electric shock (defibrillation), usually during adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation for cardiac arrest.
		3×102 J	Energy of a lethal dose of X-rays[85]
		3×102 J	Kinetic energy of an average person jumping as high as they can[86][87][88]
		3.3×102 J	Energy to melt 1 g of ice[89]
		> 3.6×102 J	Kinetic energy of 800 gram[90] standard men's javelin thrown at > 30 m/s[91] by elite javelin throwers[92]
		5–20×102 J	Energy output of a typical photography studio strobe light in a single flash[93]
		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[62]
		7.8×102 J	Kinetic energy of 7.26 kg[94] standard men's shot thrown at 14.7 m/s[citation needed] by the world record holder Randy Barnes[95]
		8.01×102 J	Amount of work needed to lift a man with an average weight (81.7 kg) one meter above Earth (or any planet with Earth gravity)
103	kilo- (kJ)	1.1×103 J	≈ 1 British thermal unit (BTU), depending on the temperature[62]
		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)[96]
		2.3×103 J	Energy to vaporize 1 g of water into steam[97]
		3×103 J	Lorentz force can crusher pinch[98]
		3.4×103 J	Kinetic energy of world-record men's hammer throw (7.26 kg[99] thrown at 30.7 m/s[100] in 1986)[101]
		3.6×103 J	≡ 1 W·h (watt-hour)[62]
		4.2×103 J	Energy released by explosion of 1 gram of TNT[62][102]
		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[103]
		8.5×103 J	Kinetic energy of a regulation baseball thrown at the speed of sound (343 m/s = 767 mph = 1,235 km/h. Air, 20°C).[104]
		9×103 J	Energy in an alkaline AA battery[105]
104		1.7×104 J	Energy released by the metabolism of 1 gram of carbohydrates[106] or protein[107]
		3.8×104 J	Energy released by the metabolism of 1 gram of fat[108]
		4–5×104 J	Energy released by the combustion of 1 gram of gasoline[109]
		5×104 J	Kinetic energy of 1 gram of matter moving at 10 km/s[110]
105		3×105 – 15×105 J	Kinetic energy of an automobile at highway speeds (1 to 5 tons[111] at 89 km/h or 55 mph)[112]

106 to 1011 J

List of orders of magnitude for energy

Factor (joules)	SI prefix	Value	Item
106	mega- (MJ)	1×106 J	Kinetic energy of a 2 tonne[111] vehicle at 32 metres per second (115 km/h or 72 mph)[113]
		1.2×106 J	Approximate food energy of a snack such as a Snickers bar (280 food calories)[114]
		3.6×106 J	= 1 kWh (kilowatt-hour) (used for electricity)[62]
		4.2×106 J	Energy released by explosion of 1 kilogram of TNT[62][102]
		6.1×106 J	Kinetic energy of the 4 kg tungsten APFSDS penetrator after being fired from a 120mm KE-W A1 cartridge with a nominal muzzle velocity of 1740 m/s.[115][116]
		8.4×106 J	Recommended food energy intake per day for a moderately active woman (2000 food calories)[117][118]
		9.1×106 J	Kinetic energy of a regulation baseball thrown at Earth's escape velocity (First cosmic velocity ≈ 11.186 km/s = 25,020 mph = 40,270 km/h).[119]
107		1×107 J	Kinetic energy of the armor-piercing round fired by the ISU-152 assault gun[120][citation needed]
		1.1×107 J	Recommended food energy intake per day for a moderately active man (2600 food calories)[117][121]
		3.3×107 J	Kinetic energy of a 23 lb projectile fired by the Navy's mach 8 railgun.[122]
		3.7×107 J	$1 of electricity at a cost of $0.10/kWh (the US average retail cost in 2009)[123][124][125]
		4×107 J	Energy from the combustion of 1 cubic meter of natural gas[126]
		4.2×107 J	Caloric energy consumed by Olympian Michael Phelps on a daily basis during Olympic training[127]
		6.3×107 J	Theoretical minimum energy required to accelerate 1 kg of matter to escape velocity from Earth's surface (ignoring atmosphere)[128]
		9×107 J	Total mass-energy of 1 microgram of matter (25 kWh)
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[62]
		1.1×108 J	≈ 1 Tour de France, or ~90 hours[129] ridden at 5 W/kg[130] by a 65 kg rider[131]
		7.3×108 J	≈ Energy from burning 16 kilograms of oil (using 135 kg per barrel of light crude)[citation needed]
109	giga- (GJ)	1×109 J	Energy in an average lightning bolt[132] (thunder)
		1.1×109 J	Magnetic stored energy in the world's largest toroidal superconducting magnet for the ATLAS experiment at CERN, Geneva[133]
		1.2×109 J	Inflight 100-ton Boeing 757-200 at 300 knots (154 m/s)
		1.4×109 J	Theoretical minimum amount of energy required to melt a tonne of steel (380 kWh)[134][135]
		2×109 J	Energy of an ordinary 61 liter gasoline tank of a car.[109][136][137]
		2×109 J	Unit of energy in Planck units,[138] roughly the diesel tank energy of a mid-sized truck.
		2.49×109 J	Approximate kinetic energy carried by American Airlines Flight 11 at the moment of impact with WTC 1 on September 11, 2001.[139][140]
		3×109 J	Inflight 125-ton Boeing 767-200 flying at 373 knots (192 m/s)
		3.3×109 J	Approximate average amount of energy expended by a human heart muscle over an 80-year lifetime[141][142]
		3.6×109 J	= 1 MW·h (megawatt-hour)
		4.2×109 J	Energy released by explosion of 1 ton of TNT.
		4.5×109 J	Average annual energy usage of a standard refrigerator[143][144]
		6.1×109 J	≈ 1 bboe (barrel of oil equivalent)[145]
1010		1.9×1010 J	Kinetic energy of an Airbus A380 at cruising speed (560 tonnes at 511 knots or 263 m/s)
		4.2×1010 J	≈ 1 toe (ton of oil equivalent)[145]
		4.6×1010 J	Yield energy of a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the second most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed[146][147]
		7.3×1010 J	Energy consumed by the average U.S. automobile in the year 2000[148][149][150]
		8.6×1010 J	≈ 1 MW·d (megawatt-day), used in the context of power plants (24 MW·h)[151]
		8.8×1010 J	Total energy released in the nuclear fission of one gram of uranium-235[39][40][152]
		9×1010 J	Total mass-energy of 1 milligram of matter (25 MW·h)
1011		1.1×1011 J	Kinetic energy of a regulation baseball thrown at lightning speed (120 km/s = 270,000 mph = 435,000 km/h).[153]
		2.4×1011 J	Approximate food energy consumed by an average human in an 80-year lifetime.[154]

1012 to 1017 J

List of orders of magnitude for energy

Factor (joules)	SI prefix	Value	Item
1012	tera- (TJ)	1.85×1012 J	Gravitational potential energy of the Twin Towers, combined, accumulated throughout their construction and released during the collapse of the complex.[155][156][157]
		3.4×1012 J	Maximum fuel energy of an Airbus A330-300 (97,530 liters[158] of Jet A-1[159])[160]
		3.6×1012 J	1 GW·h (gigawatt-hour)[161]
		4×1012 J	Electricity generated by one 20-kg CANDU fuel bundle assuming ~29%[162] thermal efficiency of reactor[163][164]
		4.2×1012 J	Chemical energy released by the detonation of 1 kiloton of TNT[62][165]
		6.4×1012 J	Energy contained in jet fuel in a Boeing 747-100B aircraft at max fuel capacity (183,380 liters[166] of Jet A-1[159])[167]
1013		1.1×1013 J	Energy of the maximum fuel an Airbus A380 can carry (320,000 liters[168] of Jet A-1[159])[169]
		1.2×1013 J	Orbital kinetic energy of the International Space Station (417 tonnes[170] at 7.7 km/s[171])[172]
		1.20×1013 J	Orbital kinetic energy of the Parker Solar Probe as it dives deep into the Sun's gravity well in December 2024, reaching a peak velocity of 430,000 mph.[173][174][175]
		6.3×1013 J	Yield of the Little Boy atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II (15 kilotons)[176][177]
		9×1013 J	Theoretical total mass–energy of 1 gram of matter (25 GW·h) [178]
1014		1.8×1014 J	Energy released by annihilation of 1 gram of antimatter and matter (50 GW·h)
		3.75×1014 J	Total energy released by the Chelyabinsk meteor.[179]
		6×1014 J	Energy released by an average hurricane per day[180]
1015	peta- (PJ)	> 1015 J	Energy released by a severe thunderstorm[181]
		1×1015 J	Yearly electricity consumption in Greenland as of 2008[182][183]
		4.2×1015 J	Energy released by explosion of 1 megaton of TNT[62][184]
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[182][185]
		6.3×1016 J	Yield of Castle Bravo, the most powerful nuclear weapon tested by the United States[186]
		7.9×1016 J	Kinetic energy of a regulation baseball thrown at 99% the speed of light (KE = mc^2 × [γ-1], where the Lorentz factor γ ≈ 7.09).[187]
		9×1016 J	Mass–energy of 1 kilogram of matter[188]
1017		1.4×1017 J	Seismic energy released by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake[189]
		1.7×1017 J	Total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each second[190]
		2.1×1017 J	Yield of the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever tested (50 megatons)[191][192]
		2.552×1017 J	Total energy of the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption[193][194]
		4.2×1017 J	Yearly electricity consumption of Norway as of 2008[182][195]
		4.516×1017 J	Energy needed to accelerate one ton of mass to 0.1c (~30,000 km/s)[196]
		8.4x1017 J	Estimated energy released by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano, Krakatoa, in 1883[197][198][199]

1018 to 1023 J

List of orders of magnitude for energy

Factor (joules)	SI prefix	Value	Item
1018	exa- (EJ)	9.4×1018 J	Worldwide nuclear-powered electricity output in 2023.[200][201]
1019		1×1019 J	Thermal energy released by the 1991 Pinatubo eruption[202]
		1.1×1019 J	Seismic energy released by the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake[202]
		1.2×1019 J	Explosive yield of global nuclear arsenal[203] (2.86 Gigatons)
		1.4×1019 J	Yearly electricity consumption in the U.S. as of 2009[182][204]
		1.4×1019J	Yearly electricity production in the U.S. as of 2009[205][206]
		5×1019 J	Energy released in 1 day by an average hurricane in producing rain (400 times greater than the wind energy)[180]
		6.4×1019 J	Yearly electricity consumption of the world as of 2008[update][207][208]
		6.8×1019 J	Yearly electricity generation of the world as of 2008[update][207][209]
1020		1.4×1020 J	Total energy released in the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption[210]
		2.33×1020 J	Kinetic energy of a carbonaceous chondrite meteor 1 km in diameter striking Earth's surface at 20 km/s.[211] Such an impact occurs every ~500,000 years.[212]
		2.4×1020 J	Total latent heat energy released by Hurricane Katrina[213]
		5×1020 J	Total world annual energy consumption in 2010[214][215]
		6.2×1020 J	World primary energy generation in 2023 (620 EJ).[216][217]
		8×1020 J	Estimated global uranium resources for generating electricity 2005[218][219][220][221]
1021	zetta- (ZJ)	6.9×1021 J	Estimated energy contained in the world's natural gas reserves as of 2010[214][222]
		7.0×1021 J	Thermal energy released by the Toba eruption[202]
		7.9×1021 J	Estimated energy contained in the world's petroleum reserves as of 2010[214][223]
		9.3×1021 J	Annual net uptake of thermal energy by the global ocean during 2003-2018[224]
1022		1.2×1022J	Seismic energy of a magnitude 11 earthquake on Earth (M 11)[225]
		1.5×1022J	Total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each day[190][226]
		1.94×1022J	Impact event that formed the Siljan Ring, the largest impact structure in Europe[227]
		2.4×1022 J	Estimated energy contained in the world's coal reserves as of 2010[214][228]
		2.9×1022 J	Identified global uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology[218]
		3.9×1022 J	Estimated energy contained in the world's fossil fuel reserves as of 2010[214][229]
		4.0×1022 J	Mass-energy equivalent of the International Space Station (ISS), weighing around 450 tons.[230][231]
		8.03×1022 J	Total energy of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake[232]
1023		1.5×1023 J	Total energy of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake[233]
		2.2×1023 J	Total global uranium-238 resources using fast reactor technology[218]
		3×1023 J	The energy released in the formation of the Chicxulub Crater in the Yucatán Peninsula[234]

Over 1024 J

List of orders of magnitude for energy

Factor (joules)	SI prefix	Value	Item
1024	yotta- (YJ)	2.31×1024 J	Total energy of the Sudbury impact event[235]
		2.69×1024 J	Rotational energy of Venus, which has a sidereal period of (-)243 Earth days.[236][237][238] This incredibly anomalous value derives its origin from the deceleration of rotation by atmospheric tides from the Sun.[239]
		3.8×1024 J	Radiative heat energy released from the Earth's surface each year[202]
		5.5×1024 J	Total energy from the Sun that strikes the face of the Earth each year[190][240]
1025		4×1025 J	Total energy of the Carrington Event in 1859[241]
1026		>1026J	Estimated energy of early Archean asteroid impacts[242]
		3.2×1026 J	Bolometric energy of Proxima Centauri's superflare in March 2016 (10^33.5 erg). In one year, potentially five similar superflares erupts from the surface of the red dwarf.[243]
		3.828×1026 J	Total radiative energy output of the Sun per second[244], as defined by the IAU.[245]
1027	ronna- (RJ)	1×1027 J	Estimated energy released by the impact that created the Caloris basin on Mercury.[246]
		1×1027 J	Upper limit of the most energetic solar flares possible (X1000)[247]
		5.19×1027 J	Thermal input necessary to evaporate all surface water on Earth.[248][249][250] Note that the evaporated water still remains on Earth, merely in vapor form.
		4.2×1027 J	Kinetic energy of a regulation baseball thrown at the speed of the Oh-My-God particle, itself a cosmic ray proton with the kinetic energy of a baseball thrown at 60 mph (~50 J).[251]
1028		3.8×1028 J	Kinetic energy of the Moon in its orbit around the Earth (counting only its velocity relative to the Earth)[252][253]
		7×1028 J	Total energy of the stellar superflare from V1355 Orionis[254][255]
1029		2.1×1029 J	Rotational energy of the Earth[256][257][258]
1030	quetta-(QJ)	1.79×1030 J	Rough estimate of the gravitational binding energy of Mercury.[259]
1031		2×1031 J	The Theia Impact, the most energetic event ever in Earth's history[260][261]
		3.3×1031J	Total energy output of the Sun each day[244][262]
1032		1.71×1032 J	Gravitational binding energy of the Earth[263]
		3.10×1032 J	Yearly energy output of Sirius B, the ultra-dense and Earth-sized white dwarf companion of Sirius, the Dog Star. It has a surface temperature of about 25,200 K.[264]
1033		2.7×1033 J	Earth's kinetic energy at perihelion in its orbit around the Sun[265][266]
1034		1.2×1034 J	Total energy output of the Sun each year[244][267]
1035		3.5×1035 J	The most energetic stellar superflare to date (V2487 Ophiuchi)[268]
1038		7.53×1038 J	Baryonic (ordinary) mass-energy contained in a volume of one cubic light-year, on average.[269][270]
1039		2–5×1039 J	Energy of the giant flare (starquake) released by SGR 1806-20[271][272][273]
		6.60×1039 J	Theoretical total mass–energy of the Moon[274][275]
1040		1.61×1040 J	Baryonic mass-energy contained in a volume of one cubic parsec, on average.[270][276]
1041		2.28×1041 J	Gravitational binding energy of the Sun[277]
		5.37×1041 J	Mass–energy equivalent of the Earth[278][279]
1043		5×1043 J	Total energy of all gamma rays in a typical gamma-ray burst if collimated[280][281]
		>1043 J	Total energy in a typical fast blue optical transient (FBOT)[282]
1044		~1044 J	Average value of a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) in optical/UV bands[283]
		~1044 J	Estimated kinetic energy released by FBOT CSS161010[284]
		~1044 J	Total energy released in a typical supernova,[285][286] sometimes referred to as a foe.
		1.23×1044 J	Approximate lifetime energy output of the Sun.[287][288]
		3×1044 J	Total energy of a typical gamma-ray burst if collimated[285]
		5.8 × 1044 J	Kinetic energy of the star S2 as it made its closest approach to Sagittarius A*, the galactic center SMBH, at 7,650 km/s on May 2018.[289][290]
1045		~1045 J	Estimated energy released in a hypernova and pair instability supernova[291]
		1045 J	Energy released by the energetic supernova, SN 2016aps[292][293]
		1.7-1.9×1045J	Energy released by hypernova ASASSN-15lh[294]
		2.3×1045 J	Energy released by the energetic supernova PS1-10adi[295][296]
		>1045 J	Estimated energy of a magnetorotational hypernova[297]
		>1045 J	Total energy (energy in gamma rays+relativistic kinetic energy) of hyper-energetic gamma-ray burst if collimated[298][299][300][301][302]
1046		>1046 J	Estimated energy in theoretical quark-novae[303]
		~1046 J	Upper limit of the total energy of a supernova[304][305]
		1.5×1046 J	Total energy of the most energetic optical non-quasar transient, AT2021lwx[306]
1047		1045-47 J	Estimated energy of stellar mass rotational black holes by vacuum polarization in an electromagnetic field[307][308]
		1047 J	Total energy of a very energetic and relativistic jetted Tidal Disruption Event (TDE)[309]
		~1047 J	Upper limit of collimated- corrected total energy of a gamma-ray burst[310][311][312]
		1.8×1047 J	Theoretical total mass–energy of the Sun[313][314]
		5.4×1047 J	Mass–energy emitted as gravitational waves during the merger of two black holes, originally about 30 Solar masses each, as observed by LIGO (GW150914)[315]
		8.6×1047 J	Mass–energy emitted as gravitational waves during the most energetic black hole merger observed until 2020 (GW170729)[316]
		8.8×1047 J	GRB 080916C – formerly the most powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded – total/true[317] isotropic energy output estimated at 8.8 × 1047 joules (8.8 × 1054 erg), or 4.9 times the Sun's mass turned to energy[318]
1048		1048 J	Estimated energy of a supermassive Population III star supernova, denominated "General Relativistic Instability Supernova."[319][320]
		~1.2×1048 J	Approximate energy released in the most energetic black hole merging to date (GW190521), which originated the first intermediate-mass black hole ever detected[321][322][323][324][325]
		1.2–3×1048 J	GRB 221009A – the most powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) ever recorded – total/true[317][326] isotropic energy output estimated at 1.2–3 × 1048 joules (1.2–3 × 1055 erg)[327][328][329]
1050		≳1050 J	Upper limit of isotropic energy (Eiso) of Population III stars Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs).[330]
1053		>1053 J	Mechanical energy of very energetic so-called "quasar tsunamis"[331][332]
		6×1053 J	Total mechanical energy or enthalpy in the powerful AGN outburst in the RBS 797[333]
		7.65×1053 J	Mass-energy of Sagittarius A*, Milky Way's central supermassive black hole[334][335]
1054		3×1054 J	Total mechanical energy or enthalpy in the powerful AGN outburst in the Hercules A (3C 348)[336]
1055		>1055 J	Total mechanical energy or enthalpy in the powerful AGN outburst in the MS 0735.6+7421,[337] Ophiucus Supercluster Explosion[338] and supermassive black holes mergings[339][340]
1057		~1057 J	Estimated rotational energy of M87 SMBH and total energy of the most luminous quasars over Gyr time-scales[341][342]
		~2×1057 J	Estimated thermal energy of the Bullet Cluster of galaxies[343]
		7.3×1057 J	Mass-energy equivalent of the ultramassive black hole TON 618, an extremely luminous quasar / active galactic nucleus (AGN).[344][345]
1058		~1058 J	Estimated total energy (in shockwaves, turbulence, gases heating up, gravitational force) of galaxy clusters mergings[346]
		4×1058 J	Visible mass–energy in our galaxy, the Milky Way[347][348]
1059		1×1059 J	Total mass–energy of our galaxy, the Milky Way, including dark matter and dark energy[349][350]
		1.4×1059 J	Mass-energy of the Andromeda galaxy (M31), ~0.8 trillion solar masses.[351][352]
1062		1–2×1062 J	Total mass–energy of the Virgo Supercluster including dark matter, the Supercluster which contains the Milky Way[353]
1066		1.207×1066 J	Average mass-energy of ordinary matter contained within one cubic gigaparsec in the observable universe.[354]
1070		1.462×1070 J	Rough estimate of total mass–energy of ordinary matter (atoms; baryons) present in the observable universe.[355][356][270]
1071		3.177×1071 J	Rough estimate of total mass-energy within our observable universe, accounting for all forms of matter and energy.[357][270]

SI multiples

SI multiples of joule (J)

Submultiples			Multiples
Value	SI symbol	Name	Value	SI symbol	Name
10−1 J	dJ	decijoule	101 J	daJ	decajoule
10−2 J	cJ	centijoule	102 J	hJ	hectojoule
10−3 J	mJ	millijoule	103 J	kJ	kilojoule
10−6 J	μJ	microjoule	106 J	MJ	megajoule
10−9 J	nJ	nanojoule	109 J	GJ	gigajoule
10−12 J	pJ	picojoule	1012 J	TJ	terajoule
10−15 J	fJ	femtojoule	1015 J	PJ	petajoule
10−18 J	aJ	attojoule	1018 J	EJ	exajoule
10−21 J	zJ	zeptojoule	1021 J	ZJ	zettajoule
10−24 J	yJ	yoctojoule	1024 J	YJ	yottajoule
10−27 J	rJ	rontojoule	1027 J	RJ	ronnajoule
10−30 J	qJ	quectojoule	1030 J	QJ	quettajoule

The joule is named after James Prescott Joule. As with every SI unit named after a person, its symbol starts with an upper case letter (J), but when written in full, it follows the rules for capitalisation of a common noun; i.e., joule becomes capitalised at the beginning of a sentence and in titles but is otherwise in lower case.

See also

• Energy portal

• Conversion of units of energy
• Energy conversion efficiency
• Energy density
• Metric system
• Outline of energy
• Scientific notation
• TNT equivalent