Why don't planets made of explosive gases like methane ignite?

Answer 1

Methane is NOT easy to ignite. Contrary to belief, it is hard to ignite, while hydrogen and helium are not. Also, even if methane was explosive, the only planets with significant amounts of methane are Uranus, and Neptune. These are too far from the Sun to receive enough heat to generate a planetwide explosion even if they were made mostly of hydrogen. For example, the new rocket engine fueled by methan was MUCH harder to ignite than the liquid hydrogen oxygen ones currently used.

Answer 2

Methane in and of itself will not explode. What it needs is an ignition source and oxygen. These all have to be in a certain range of concentration to ignite also. I have heard a myth that if you light a match and were to put drop it in a bucket of gasoline it would go out because of the concetration of gasoline vapors blocking the oxygen. Even if the planet or moon has an active volcano, but no oxygen, the methane would not ignite.

Answer 3

Fire needs two things:

1) Fuel
2) Oxygen

Without these two, fire is not possible, thus an explosion is not possible, we know that the gaseous planets have very little oxygen thus it is incredibly hard to ignite one.

Answer 4

Because it is only explosive when mixed with oxygen.

True fact - a drained gas tank is MUCH more explosive than a full one, because the drained one has oxygen mixed in.

Answer 5

They need heat, a flame and a bunch of oxygen. The oxygen is not there.

Answer 6

I'm not sure myself...but in hypothosis I believe there is either not enough heat, not enough of the flammable substance, too much of other neutral gasses canceling out the flammable gas, or no spark. As metioned this is all in hypothosis.

Answer 7

good question!