If Jupiter contains mostly hydrogen and helium, why no nuclear reaction?

Question

The atmosphere in Jupiter is very deep, perhaps comprising the whole planet, and is somewhat like the Sun. It is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, with small amounts of methane, ammonia, water vapor and other compounds. At great depths within Jupiter, the pressure is so great that the hydrogen atoms are broken up and the electrons are freed so that the resulting atoms consist of bare protons. This produces a state in which the hydrogen becomes metallic. If there was an atomic "starter" could that create a new star with limited fuel

Answer 1

I'm no expert but I don't think what you're saying is true. Jupiter is believed to have a solid core (I think) but not for that reason, it's solid simply because the pressure causes the hydrogen/helium to solidify. Jupiter would need more mass than it currently has to instigate fusion.

Oh and it is I suppose possible that the proton thing is correct, but even if it were, Jupiter still isn't massive enough to cause nuclear fusion in the core. Stripping off electrons takes far, far less energy than nuclear fusion. Fusion involves forcing together protons and delves into the Strong Nuclear force, whilst Electrons only delve into the Electromagnetic force.


To give you some perspective, the Sun is not all that big as far as stars go, according to Google Calculator though it is still over 1000 times more massive than Jupiter.

Answer 2

Jupiter is no way near massive enough to produce the pressures and temperatures required to start nuclear fusion. Jupiter would have to be about 70 times as massive to have a chance at becoming a star. The temperature needs to be in the range of millions of degrees. A nuclearbomb set off deep within Jupiters oceans of metallic hydrogen, if IT survives the pressure, might be amplified like a hydrogen bomb would but there would be no sustained nuclear fusion.

Answer 3

The nuclear reaction taking place in the sun are based upon the fusion of hydrogen nucleons.

Hydrogen nucleons (=bare protons) repel each other, due to their identical electric charge.

The strong nuclear force is a very short range attractive force.

Only when the protons get close enough can the strong nuclear attraction overcome the electric repulsion.

The more material you put into an object, the greater its self gravitational attraction.

When a stellar object has enough mass, its self gravitational attraction pulls its protons close enough to make the strong nuclear force overcome the electric repulsion, and hence ignite a nuclear reaction.

To sustain a nuclear reaction, the attractive force pulling the protons together, must overcome both their electric repulsion, as well as the explosion pressure (pulling things apart).

Consequently, a nuclear explosion in Jupiter - other than potential bringing together some protons - cannot ignite a sustainable nuclear reaction.

Answer 4

There isnt sufficient pressure to ignite the reaction... If there were, we would be in a binary system. There has even been some speculation that Nasa's true objective of "disposing" of the... I think it was one of the Pioneer probes... by accelerating it into Jupiter was to use the probe to "spark" the reaction and essentially create a mini-solar system with Jupiter & its moons. The logic was that the nuclear batteries on the craft would implode under the atmospheric pressure and explode creating the temperatures necessary to ignite the atmosphere. Personally, I would have to think that such a violent reaction as a star lighting up would have been cataclysmic to our own planet but who knows?

Answer 5

To begin the hydrogen fusion process, like that of our sun, a temperature of at least 10-million Kelvin is needed. Jupiter simply doesn't have enough mass to compress its core enough to attain that temperature. Helium requires at least 100-million K for fusion to start.

Answer 6

Jupiter is said to be a failed star. This comes from the inability to generate enough heat to begin nuclear fussion. I'm not sure if size had anything to do with it as we are populated with millions of stars that are a lot smaller than we are,

Answer 7

It lacks the critical mass necessary to initiate fusion. However it does radiate about 100 times more heat than it receives from the sun.

Answer 8

wrong combinations...think about when the comet hit it...if there was the ability to ignite,it would have happened then..Ive heard Jupiter described as a sun that didnt fire off....I was thinking when it was struck that it might go,but no dice

Answer 9

Its not big enough, its a brown dwarf. It would have to be way bigger/more massive to ignite on its own or sustain fusion.

Answer 10

Not dense enough to become a star.