Could a gaseous planet, such as Jupiter ignite?

Question

Could a gaseous planet, such as Jupiter ignite?

Answer 1

I dont think so, you need oxygen for a fire to burn...

Oxygen is too "spread out" outside of the earths atmosphere.

Answer 2

If by "ignite" you mean "oxidize rapidly," probably not. Jupiter and the other gas giants have very little free oxygen in their atmospheres.

Answer 3

Unless you're talking about fusion, no. Even then, the conditions would have to be just right, and the event would be short-lived due to rarety of helium-3.

Answer 4

The biggest problem with Jupiter is, it is not nearly massive enough to create fusion at it's center.  It would require 10-50 times the amount of it's current mass for this process to begin.

Answer 5

Nah, I feel that it couldn't due directly to the fact that in order for there to be fire (or ignition), there also needs to be enough oxygen, for the ignition to take place, and for the planet to actually burn up.  

Answer 6

no the gasses are not in the right ratios and there is not enough oxygen to start the fire

Answer 7

Jupiter's outermost layer is a gaseous and initially wispy atmosphere. Further in however, and the atmospheric pressure and density increase rapidly, until the gas is not in gaseous form at all, but is a densely packed, impure, liquid hydrogen ocean. Now, even closer to the core, the density is so high, the pressure so great, that the hydrogen takes on the properties of a metal. This is thought to cause Jupiter's titanic magnetosphere. (which is, incidentally, the largest single entity in the solar system.) But, getting back to the liquid ocean. If there was a whole bunch of liquid oxygen mixed fairly evenly with the hydrogen in there, and someone went down there and lit a match, Jupiter would temporarily ignite, but not completely. Combustion could also occur from an asteroidal or cometary collision. As is though, neither the conditions nor an ignition source exist.  

Answer 8

Not in the vacuum of space.

Answer 9

Lmaoo are you thinking of taking a lighter and just setting it alight,.. but these people are right, usually hydrogen is semi flammible and would ignite in a 'pop' but the gas we are talkin about on jupiter wouldn't be near enough flammible to ignite a fire.. the distinct lack of oxygen prior to the immense pressure would be the main factors of 'lack of ignition'. temperature isnt really a problem within ignition as a liquid gas such as oxygen would have no problem igniting and the matalic hydrogen substance on jupiter would have composed from its partially flammible form into a liquid sea just past jupiters rocky core. :)

Answer 10

no ignition source