Order-of-Magnitude Physics | HEDHub Research

Question	Approximate calculation	Conclusion
Can a one-meter ball be lava-hot without brutal thermal signature?	Sphere area around 3.14 m2. Thermal power scales with emissivity, area and T^4; at 900-1000 K it can reach tens to hundreds of kW.	A massive hot sphere is unlikely; thin/non-thermal emission is more plausible.
Could it be a one-meter balloon?	Volume around 0.52 m3. Maximum lift in air is less than a kilogram after envelope mass.	A one-meter balloon does not explain strong maneuver or speed.
Energy of an H-alpha photon?	E = hc/lambda; lambda around 656.3 nm gives about 1.89 eV.	Red light can be line emission, not macroscopic temperature.
Cost of dissociating/exciting water?	H2O dissociation/excitation requires multiple eV per molecule; H-alpha returns only 1.89 eV.	Water is a medium/signature, not a net energy source.
Optical range?	If visible to the eye, sensitive cameras can detect it at km to tens of km with line of sight.	Optics gives long reach when the event is lit.
Magnetic range?	Dipole-like fields fall roughly as 1/r^3.	Magnetometers are most useful at close range or for strong fields.