Since we can use the anime timeframe, I’m making this blog to calculate the precise speed at which Piccolo destroyed the moon. Or more specifically, how fast the beam reached it.
The speed[]
Just to be sure, the scene from the manga is here and here.
It took 3 seconds for the beam to reach the moon. Light takes 1.28 seconds to reach the moon from earth (384,400,000 / 299,792,458 = 1.28)
1.28 / 3 x 100 = 42.666666666 or a little over 42.6% the speed of light. (Relativistic)
So 0.426c for beginning of DBZ characters
Updated version[]
A small edit but I was told this.
If it took 3 seconds for people on Earth to see the return glow, then it technically took the attack 1.7 seconds to reach the moon. So, about 76.4% SoL.
Kudos to Firestorm 808 but this is correct. If it took a total of 3 seconds for the beam to reach the moon and for us to see the light form the moon then all I have to do is subtract 1.28 seconds, for the returned glow, and that leaves us with 1.72 seconds for Piccolo's beam (only mistake was the 0.02 second difference).
1.28 / 1.72 x 100 = 74.418604651 or over 74.4% the speed of light. (Relativistic+)
Re-updated version[]
Gfycat gives a more accurate timeframe due to frame by frame pausing
Feat: Not only does the beam hit but the light also reflects off of the moon.
Timeframe: 6.32-2.66 = 3.66 seconds
Light takes 1.3 seconds to travel from the moon to earth
Actual timeframe: 3.66-1.3 = 2.36 seconds
The moon is 238900 miles away from earth
238900 miles/2.36 seconds = 162911984 m/s or 0.54341588539896 times SoL (Relativistic+)