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If we send all of our nuclear weaponry at Jupiter could we ignite it to become a star?
Question Date: 2001-02-21
Answer 1:

The answer is simple: no!

What is needed is to add sufficient mass to Jupiter so that the pressure in its deep interior (core) is high enough so that the temperature is high enough (about 15 million Kelvin) to ignite the proton-proton chain reaction whereby two hydrogens slam into each other at such velocity that they "stick" and form a helium plus lots of energy!!! (i.e. the fusion reaction).
Note that as a gas gets squeezed, its temperature increases...and the pressure in the interior of a body depends on how much mass is on top of it. This is why when you let the air out of a tire the tire or balloon seems to cool... in the case of balloon the gas is at high pressure and when you pop it, the gas decompresses (expands) and cools and the rubber gets cooler to the touch.






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