The Planets made up of Gases (No Solids) like Jupiter can start burning if ignited. What would be a trigger good enough to set the fire on ?
2007-04-22 05:43:00 · 7 answers · asked by Hot Ice 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I don't know if Jupiter can be "ignited." THe comet Shoemacher-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter about 13 years ago and created huge Earth-sized explosions that could be seen for days, yet Jupiter wasn't ignited.
2007-04-22 05:50:12 · answer #1 · answered by Spilamilah 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fire is a chemical reaction between some fuel and oxygen. There is plenty of flammable hydrogen gas on Jupiter, but no oxygen (or at least very little), so no fire is possible.
Now if you are talking about nuclear reactions, like on the Sun, then much more mass would be needed, so that the gravitational force would be enough to increase the pressure at the core to cause nuclear fusion. But that isn't really burning.
2007-04-22 14:43:15 · answer #2 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If jupiter was 80 more massive, It could ignite like a star. It is because of its relatively small size that it doesn't ignite.
2007-04-22 14:07:56 · answer #3 · answered by David 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jupiter cannot be ignited because there is no oxygen to feed the flame.
It could become another sun if it had more mass...
2007-04-22 13:15:12 · answer #4 · answered by captflapdoodle 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
jdude had it right. Jupiter would have to be about 13 times as heavy to have enough pressure to fuse hydrogen in it's core and become a red dwarf star.
2007-04-22 20:09:01 · answer #5 · answered by Nomadd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Adding another dozen Jupiters on the first one.
2007-04-22 13:53:23 · answer #6 · answered by anonymous 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of my farts.
2007-04-22 13:22:44 · answer #7 · answered by Ordin 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋