Foe (unit of energy)

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A foe is a unit of energy equal to 10⁴⁴ joules.

To measure the large amount of energy produced by a supernova, specialists occasionally use a unit of energy known as a "foe", an acronym derived from the phrase [ten to the power] fifty-one ergs, or 10⁵¹ ergs. This unit of measure is convenient because a supernova typically releases about one foe of observable energy in a very short period of time (which can be measured in seconds). In comparison, if the Sun had its current luminosity throughout its entire lifetime, it would produce 3.827×10²⁶ W × 10¹⁰ years ≈ 1.2 foe (Google Calculator).