# Explosions in Space **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553 "2013-04-13T00:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/1 "2013-04-13T00:55:02Z")
When movies depict explosions in space, the flare is often horizontal. Is there a scientific basis for this? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/2 "2013-04-13T01:41:40Z")
> [@11811](#): > > When movies depict explosions in space, the flare is often horizontal. Is there a scientific basis for this? In the atomic bomb documentary _Trinity and Beyond_, they show some of the space-based nuclear weapons tests. The explosions look pretty much like a small sun, round and bright. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/3 "2013-04-13T02:17:56Z")
If you had a massive object rotating quickly you might get a bit of a bulge along the “horizontal” but really I think it’s more likely the “rule of cool”. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/4 "2013-04-13T04:24:13Z")
[Ahh, the Praxis Effect!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxis_effect) In reality, an explosion produces a spherical shock wave. In space, where there is no atmosphere to propagate a shock wave, you would have an expanding spherical cloud of gas and debris. Viewed from far away, it would look like a ring. [Sort of like this image of a supernova explosion.](http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoX5R3GhRTlIAkOaJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dsupernova%26fr%3Dyfp-t-900%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D42&w=3200&h=2160&imgurl=www.nasa.gov%2Fcenters%2Fgoddard%2Fimages%2Fcontent%2F96296main_SuperNova2A.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters%2Fgoddard%2Fnews%2Ftopstory%2F2003%2F0618rosettaburst.html&size=252+KB&name=NASA+-+National+Aeronautics+and+Space+Administration&p=supernova&oid=e9ae8dccf3cb8a9aed286d1682560dbc&fr2=piv-web&fr=yfp-t-900&tt=NASA%2B-%2BNational%2BAeronautics%2Band%2BSpace%2BAdministration&b=0&ni=150&no=42&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12c06qr95&sigb=133vgi7v1&sigi=1256os0bk&.crumb=LTd1WdHAh/0&fr=yfp-t-900) And if the object were rotating, eventually that cloud might form into a Saturn’s rings shape. But in Hollywood it became this trope where any massive explosion throws out a ring of plasma. Sort of like how all nuclear explosions are mushroom clouds and all mushroom clouds are nuclear explosions. In reality all big explosions/fireballs form mushroom clouds because of the way the hot gasses and debris slows down and expands as it rises and cools. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/5 "2013-04-13T04:38:30Z")
There is no horizontal in space. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/6 "2013-04-13T14:07:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There is no horizontal in space. This may be the best information to disprove the sci-fi trope. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/7 "2013-04-13T14:20:24Z")
If we’re talking about a ship exploding in space, I guess you could argue that if the ship’s structure is stronger on the top and bottom than it is on the sides, then the result would be a “Horizontal flare”. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/8 "2013-04-13T14:32:58Z")
For a spaceship explosion might it make a little bit of sense in that odds are the resistance of the explosion moving parallel to the decks\* is likely to be less than that perpendicular to the decks and so would tend to funnel the explosive powers along those lines. - This of course makes assumptions about how fictional spacecraft were constructed but I am assuming something similar to my apartment building where I have 4 inches of concrete between me and my upstairs neighbor and drywall and insulation between me and my next door neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/9 "2013-04-18T02:50:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There is no horizontal in space. He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates…two-dimensional thinking. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-in-space/655553/10 "2013-04-18T02:59:06Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > For a spaceship explosion might it make a little bit of sense in that odds are the resistance of the explosion moving parallel to the decks\* is likely to be less than that perpendicular to the decks and so would tend to funnel the explosive powers along those lines. > > - This of course makes assumptions about how fictional spacecraft were constructed but I am assuming something similar to my apartment building where I have 4 inches of concrete between me and my upstairs neighbor and drywall and insulation between me and my next door neighbor. Assuming your spaceship is of the [Standard Human Spaceship](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StandardHumanSpaceship)flying gunmetal brick variety.