See: Chinese astronauts light a candle at the Tiangong Space Station

Astronauts Gui Haichao and Zhou Yangzhou They lit a candle during a live conference It was sent from China’s Tiangong Space Station on September 21. The goal was to demonstrate the phenomenon that occurs when fires are generated in a microgravity environment. The fire appeared almost spherical, rather than the typical teardrop shape we know on Earth.

Candles lit on the ground produce a flame formed by convection caused by buoyancy, with hot air rising and cold air falling. However, the combustion convection current is weak in the microgravity environment of LEO. This means that The fire spread in all directionsWhich led to the appearance of spherical fireballs, according to the specialized website Space.

The live-streamed lecture was the fourth so-called “Tiangong Chapter” hosted by the Chinese space station. The astronauts interacted with students in five classrooms across China. Which indicates a series of microgravity phenomena. As in previous classes, astronauts demonstrated that many physical processes behave differently than they do on Earth.

However, the candle experience, in which the GUI Strike a match to produce an open flame to light the candleThey will likely be greeted by surprise by participants on the International Space Station, which has strict rules regarding flammable materials and open flames.

The strict fire safety procedures aboard the International Space Station are partly a response to a major fire on the Russian Mir space station in 1997.

Combustion in microgravity has been the subject of numerous experiments on the International Space Station. But a specially designed integrated combustion system is usually used, keeping the fire isolated and contained.

Tiangong also has a Combustion Experiment Rack (CER) to conduct serious research in this field.