Can you sneak attack with a move action with the spell Defenestrating Sphere?

Question

The spell Defenestrating Sphere (Sor/Wiz 4) has a duration of 1 rd./level. The spell description reads:

When you cast this spell, you create a violently swirling sphere of air. As a move action, you can make the sphere travel up to 30 feet per round and strike a creature or object you indicate as a ranged touch attack. Any creature struck by the sphere takes 3d6 points of damage from the force of its winds. Spell Compendium, p. 62

a) Does that mean the attack is part of the move action?

b) In case the opponent is denied her Dex bonus, is she eliglible to sneak attack?

Answer 1

a) Does that mean the attack is part of the move action?

Yes. As a move action, you make a ranged touch attack, and the sphere hits that target.

That much is clear, but many other details in the spell are not. It’s not clear to me whether that movement has to be in a straight line (nothing says it has to, but a ranged attack kind of implies it), or what happens if the sphere touches anyone else en route (does it stop, blocked by that person? Pass through? Damage both? Just the first? Just the actual target?).

b) In case the opponent is denied her Dex bonus, is she eliglible to sneak attack?

Yes; per Complete Arcane, sneak attack applies to “weapon-like” spells, that is, spells that involve some kind of attack roll. Touch attacks explicitly work, and this is a touch attack.