What happens if the nuclear bomb is placed and exploded on the Jupiter

[goodphy]

Hello. I know that more than 80 percent of the atmosphere of the Jupiter is the hydrogen. Does this fact mean that intense explosion possibly with the nuclear bomb burn all the gas of the Jupiter? There must be huge difference to the explosion on Earth.

 

[A.T.]

There was a similar speculation before the first nuke test on Earth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project

Teller also raised the speculative possibility that an atomic bomb might "ignite" the atmosphere because of a hypothetical fusion reaction of nitrogen nuclei.[note 1] Bethe calculated that it could not happen,[27] and a report co-authored by Teller showed that "no self-propagating chain of nuclear reactions is likely to be started."[28] In Serber's account, Oppenheimer mentioned it to Arthur Compton, who "didn't have enough sense to shut up about it. It somehow got into a document that went to Washington" and was "never laid to rest".[note 2]

 

[DrClaude]

I think goodphy is talking about hydrogen gas burning up, not a continued nuclear chain reaction.

 

[goodphy]

Yes I am. I was not going to the nuclear fusion and I had imagined the some sort of chain reaction as we can see the explosion of the gas pipe started with the such a small ignition like using lighter. What about chemical reaction like this instead of the fusion?

 

[russ_watters]

...in which case, the answer is still no, since there is almost no oxygen on Jupiter, so it can't burn.

Note, we got to watch what happens if there are nuke sized explosions on Jupiter when comet S-L 9 broke apart and impacted 10 years or so ago.

 

[goodphy]

Oh..yes chemically oxygen is required to get what people normally call `burn`. Thanks!

 

[ViperSRT3g]

The process of burning is the oxidization of a material. This means it combines with oxygen to burn. Since there's very little oxygen on Jupiter, nothing would burn.

 

[A.T.]

What about chemical reaction like this instead of the fusion?

Don't you think something would have ignited it long ago, if it was ignitable? Meteors, lightning etc.

 

[SteamKing]

...in which case, the answer is still no, since there is almost no oxygen on Jupiter, so it can't burn.

Note, we got to watch what happens if there are nuke sized explosions on Jupiter when comet S-L 9 broke apart and impacted 10 years or so ago.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy struck Jupiter in July 1994, almost twenty years ago.

 

[russ_watters]

Comet Shoemaker-Levy struck Jupiter in July 1994, almost twenty years ago.

I'm old.

 

[ViperSRT3g]

I'm old.

I have to agree. Felt like it was in the last decade.

 

[davenn]

I'm old.

me to hahaha

But I still vividly recall looking at the big black blotches in the Jovian atmosphere
through my own telescope.

Best birthday present ever!

Dave

 

[mheslep]

The Shoemaker-Levy impact was much, much larger in terms of energy release than any nuke: 6x10¹² tons of TNT or, per wiki, 600 times the combined global arsenal of nuclear weapons. The nuclear fission or fusion of even a few tons of suitable matter doesn't really compare with high speed collisions of large celestial bodies.