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Once, I recall seeing smoke from an apparently invisible fire; it was the biggest fire I’d ever seen, no visible flames but still burning HOT. When dad stoked it up again, it returned to the titan it previously was; thank goodness it was still wet or it’d probably have taken off into the grass and surrounding forest. This was Christmas Day 2019.
Even the surface of Venus isn’t quite red-hot, although it is very close (about 876F if not higher; things start emitting visible light at 976F). So this fire could've very well literally been colder than Venus for a time. I was very fascinated and then explained to dad how things have to be a certain temperature to emit visible light, how it gets bluer when it gets hotter and how extremely hot objects emit UV, X-rays and eventually gamma rays.
Anyone else ever noticed something still burning sustainably even after it gets too cold to emit visible light?
No. I've seen hidden embers. Thats why you pour water on a campfire and stir, because a fire might look like its out but might just be in waiting for a good wind or moron to come along...
No. I've seen hidden embers. Thats why you pour water on a campfire and stir, because a fire might look like its out but might just be in waiting for a good wind or moron to come along...
Yes, even those could be activated accidentally or by nature. However, a fire burning without emitting visible light would be especially dangerous (and fascinating!).
Spilled methanol at an Indy car race burns without a visible flame. Pit crew members jumping around inexplicably trying to put out their burning jumpsuits.
Oxidation is oxidation, whether it's a log "on fire" or a log rotting. Only the timeframe (cal emitted per min) is different. The total calorie output is the same after the log disappears.
I've seen flameless but smoldering intense heat and thick acrid smoke coming from below the surfaces of ombrotrophic peat bogs that are continuously smoldering underground. Some of them have been burning underground like that for many months or years even when it's been drenched from pouring heavy rain coming down non-stop for 3 or 4 months during winters.
Here in BC in the middle of an urban area in our Fraser Valley Delta region, about 40 miles away from where I live, we have a huge peat bog like that. It is the world's largest raised (domed) ombrotrophic peat bog and is the largest undeveloped urban land mass on the west coast of the Americas. From time to time it occasionally spontaneously starts up burning in places underground and will burn like that for several months and then the fire goes out on its own. But sometimes if it gets really bad it has to be put out by specialized fire fighters who have the techniques and equipment designed for putting out underground peat bog fires. You can't see where the burns are happening if not for the smoke seeping out of the ground, and feeling the heat.
Ironically but appropriately enough the bog is named Burns Bog (you can find it online). The family who were the first owners of the (originally) 12,000 acre property many decades ago were named Burns so that's how the bog got its name.
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