• Question: In space, can an ice planet burn?

    Asked by 692thaf49 to David on 17 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: David Robertson

      David Robertson answered on 17 Jun 2016:


      Wow, quite a question.

      It depends on what the ice is made of. Water ice is unlikely to burn, but it is also possible to get ice from other compounds, e.g. propane ice. A planet of propane ice sounds dangerous, but actually it couldn’t burn as burning needs oxygen. If we had a planet with equal mixtures of propane ice and oxygen ice then we could get a very big fire.

      DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

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