Nukes in Space

they don't make any sense to me


Space is a near vacuum

Heat requires there to be mass colliding (i think)

Shock waves can't really happen in a near vacuum

I'm not sure how fireballs and giant mushrooms clouds work though...



so I ask you


how do nukes work in space?

Heat expansion is a secondary effect in a nuclear explosion.

All of the energy in a nuke is released as electromagnetic energy, which can travel in a vacuum. In atmosphere, the energy is absorbed and turned into a blast wave, but in vacuum, the EM energy travels until it hits something.

Of course, due to the distances in space, a lot of the energy doesn't reach the target because it spreads out in a sphere. Nukes will need some sort of focusing device to be effective in space, unless you're relying on the EMP to take out the enemy.

or if you get a direct hit...

thanks though, I was wondering about that this morning lol

if their is a direct hit, a fireball would form throughout the target

Yeah, a spaceship would normally have oxygen in it, so a direct hit would probably go up in flames.

Even without oxygen, the nuke should still release huge amounts of gamma radiation... right?

ReconToaster wrote:Yeah, a spaceship would normally have oxygen in it, so a direct hit would probably go up in flames.

Even without oxygen, the nuke should still release huge amounts of gamma radiation... right?

Well, it would probably blow the ships engine to s***, so it will go Kaboom!