Bingowings:

That's interesting as it makes out the super laser is more than just a very big laser.

I love the way the atmosphere seems to be getting hit by an enormous aurora (which it possibly would be for a fraction of a second).

Well, I never bought the notion that one big laser can hit a planet and obliterate it as soon as it touches it. Something doesn't have to be quick to look powerful, and if anything, when dealing with a body as massive as a planet, I think it really should take time.

That aurora effect is quite nice, and I figured, just because it's destructive doesn't mean it can't also be beautiful. With audio, of course, it's going to sound like an awfully destructive aurora!