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Michael Perata
12-29-2004, 2:43 PM
I was watching a Science Channel program on the Cassini Mission to Saturn and they mentioned Saturn is a dense hydrogen ball surrounding a molten iron core.

Question for the physicists amongst us: When Saturn is hit by a comet/meteor/asteroid why doesn't a fusion reaction ensue? There must be enough energy from the comet/meteor/asteroid to create one.

Chris Padilla
12-29-2004, 4:31 PM
Are you sure one isn't created?

Michael Perata
12-29-2004, 8:24 PM
If one is, wouldn't it consume the adjacent hydrogen and hence most of the planet, and we would end up with a star instead of a planet.

I know Juptier radiates more enrgy than it absorbs, but I don't believe Saturn does.

Just random thoughts.

BTW: Hey, Chris, nice Christmas haul.

Ken Garlock
12-29-2004, 10:03 PM
Well Michael here is WAG. I would say that Saturn does not have the critical mass to sustain a fusion reaction. (Begin talk thru hat) It seems that is recall that you need a tremendous amount of both temperature and pressure to cause a fusion reaction. Saturn does not have the mass to cause the pressure in its center to sustain a reaction. (end hat talk.) Key word is sustain :confused: The outer planets, while being large, are not nearly the mass of the sun. Wait a few years until the guys with the black monoliths show up :eek:

Michael Perata
12-29-2004, 10:50 PM
Ken

I agree about the center of Saturn, it being iron. What I am asking about is the surface, which is hydrogen.

The shock wave of a comet or asteroid hitting the dense gas is going to do something, ala Jupiter when Comet Shoemaker-Levy hit. Jupiter's shell is mostly hydrogen/ammonia/methane v Saturn's almost all hydrogen.

Again, just random thoughts. (Mostly from the codeine I'm on fighting a cold)

Ken Garlock
12-30-2004, 11:19 AM
Michael, there may be a little fusion at the interior of the impact of the comet and Saturn. But, I return to my original statement - not enough mass/pressure on the surface to sustain fusion. The most one could hope for is a chemical reaction with other elements in the atmosphere, IMO. Consider that temperature of the planet surface is getting in the neighborhood of absolute zero.(I think) The amount of heat generated by the impact would be rapidly dissipated. Another thing to consider is the density of hydrogen in the atmosphere.
Some day we will no doubt land a probe on the surface. Perhaps we will find that it is up to its TV camera in hydrochloric(HCL) or hydrofluoric(HF) acids :(

Anyway, these things are fun to speculate about. :)

Have a Happy New Year :cool: