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….
If I was in a room made of mirrors, and I shut off the lights, why wouldn’t the residual light continue to bounce off the mirrors and illuminate the room?
No. Because no mirror is 100% efficient. Every time it reflects light it absorbs a small amount of photons. Also, once you start to look, the room will…
What would Jupiter look like to us from Earth if Venus and Jupiter switched spots?
eplace Venus (67 million miles from the sun) with Jupiter, a planet with 390 times the mass of Venus. And roughly 11 times the diameter. Now, you would…
How deep is the sand of the Sahara? What is below it? Is it a gradual transition, or is it like pure sand dumped directly on some previous flat surface?
The Sahara, Arabic for desert, stretches across North Africa. The Sahara is the world’s largest non-polar desert, over 9,000,000 km² (3,500,000 mi²), which is about the same size as the…
What is something that seems scientifically impossible but is completely true?
I’ve always liked this one. I’m not sure where I saw if first, but this image is from Reddit. The buckets sitting on the table are holding it…
Would Apophis end humanity if it hit Earth?
Those who don’t know what Apophis [1] is, It is an asteroid that can potentially do massive damage in the year of 2029. All the major space agencies of the…
What makes some rocket engines more powerful than others?
There are a few things. The most obvious is size. A physically larger engine can pull in more fuel and oxygen per second than a smaller engine –…
Why do lions not attack when you are in a safari vehicle?
Ah, splendid question, old chap! The majestic king of beasts, the lion, doesn’t so much as bat an eye at a safari vehicle for reasons that are as…