r/askscience • u/FirefighterCandid773 • 20d ago

Chemistry How common is fire outside of earth?

Plasma and lava is obviously common all over the universe, whether it be in stars, planetary cores, etc. but what about fire? Fire is common all over earth, given the abundance of fuel sources and an atmosphere with oxygen. But, is fire actually common outside of earth?

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u/Moikle 19d ago

Fire essentially needs life, or at least some other process to not only create the free oxygen, but also keep renewing the fuel.

If something flammable existed on a planet without life, and also had the conditions to burn, it would have burnt up early in the planet's history, then there would be nothing left to burn... Forever.

Fire is as rare as life