Science

If you lit a match on Jupiter, would the planet explode?

Jupiter is 90% hydrogen, but the remaining 10% is mostly helium.

A match is composed of carbon, which reacts with heat to combine with oxygen to create CO2. In the absence of oxygen, it would not burn.

Same for hydrogen – it burns on earth because it combines with oxygen to create H2O, but there’s no oxygen fuel on Jupiter.

Combustion needs oxygen.

Jupiter is like 90% hydrogen and 9% helium with the rest in small percentages. Nowhere near enough to oxygen to combust. Even more so with helium being an inert gas that does not react to most things.

If the entire thing is hydrogen, it won’t burn. You need 3 components for a fire: fuel, spark, and oxygen (or at least an oxidizer). Without some form of oxidizer to react with, until you get it hot enough for fission and create a mini sun, you won’t start a fire.

Combustion requires oxygen. Jupiters atmosphere hardly has any oxygen. No oxygen = no combustion = no explosion.

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