This idea relies on large sale space travel through the entire solar system, and insanely powerful electro-magnetic devices, so I know it is currently impossible, unless humanity reaches a technological singularity tomorrow.
Basically, an electro-magnetic system designed to rip a solar flare out of the Sun for the purposes of destroying or irradiating an astronomical object.
The most unlikely version of this would be single space station capable of generating a massive, specifically structured EM field to draw and control the flare.
A more likely version would be a series of smaller, disposable relay stations spaced between the sun and the target, with a full size controlling station positioned directly behind the target and hopefully out of range. The smaller stations would activate in sequence to steer the flare toward the large station while being destroyed in the process.
If you really hate the celestial object, so much so that you hate the entire solar system it inhabits, you might want to make a pulse so big that it strips away enough of the suns surface to effectively disable it, or destroy it, or mess it the hell up. Just for kicks.-- notmarkflynn, Sep 09 2007 Ammo http://en.wikipedia...g/wiki/Solar_flares [notmarkflynn, Sep 09 2007] Close, but too small, and no EM forces. http://www.solardeathray.com/ [notmarkflynn, Sep 09 2007] Baked in sci-fi, has been for a long time. One particular example that's not quite the same thing but is really cool is the Saga of the Seven Suns. There's a race called the Faeros which inhabits stars and uses solar flares as a defensive weapon against the Hydrogues.-- 21 Quest, Sep 09 2007 Seems a bit more magical. How did they fire the solar flares?-- notmarkflynn, Sep 09 2007 Niven's _Ringworld_ (1970) had weaponized solar (extra-solar?) flares. Or perhaps this was in the 1980 sequel.
Anyway, the ringworld is not especially tolerant of punctures and so has an asteroid defense system based on inducing flares and using them as gas lasers. The flare induction is through a grid of superconductors inside the ring material. Niven usually worked out the physics but this idea may have been less than fully baked.-- regehr, Sep 09 2007 Didn't say how. Just that they did. Very cryptic.-- 21 Quest, Sep 09 2007 I am certain I saw this on one of the latter Star Treks. Voyager, I think. The good guys triggered a solar flare which engulfed and destroyed a Borg vessel following them. I looked for an episode guide, but the terms I chose found too much stuff.-- bungston, Sep 10 2007 Well in Star Trek all you would have to do is reverse the polarity of the transporter array, possibly tie in the sensor grid, and feed it directly with the impulse engines. Not too many problems you CAN'T solve that way.-- Galbinus_Caeli, Sep 10 2007 Well, even though this is baked, at least mine is baked in a different way. Sorta.-- notmarkflynn, Sep 10 2007 <nemesis>Again, notmarkflynn, you have proved yourself so inane that even I almost feel pity at your inexhaustible urge to design your own death.</nemesis>-- dbmag9, Sep 12 2007 halfbakery