Hey, -t, can you send tommy some candles? They should be your husband's candles for accuracy.

I've just got the one left in the freezer, is the problem with that.

By negative I meant perhaps mucking up the candle entirely--if the wax melts too slowly the wick can't burn and the candle goes out. But the candle might warm up before that's a factor.

I think the flame would produce enough heat to still melt enough wax so it would burn.

Now I'm curious if a candle that's been immersed in liquid helium to near absolute zero would still burn. Anyone have any liquid helium in a thermos?

I think you would have trouble igniting the wick near absolute zero. Below a certain temperature (and I used to know what it was, but have, of course forgotten) there's no chemistry, and therefore no oxidation of whatever wicks are made of.

I think you would have trouble igniting the wick near absolute zero. Below a certain temperature (and I used to know what it was, but have, of course forgotten) there's no chemistry, and therefore no oxidation of whatever wicks are made of.

I disagree. The wick extends out from the candle and has a very high surface are to mass ratio (compared to the candle). It would heat up pretty quickly to a temperature where the wax impregnating it would burn. My question is, would the resulting flame be able to melt enough of the cold wax in the body of the candle to stay lit once the source of the initial flame (e.g. a match) was removed.

eta: This is once the candle is removed from the liquid helium.

But I think you'd be right if you tried to light the candle while it was immersed in liquid oxygen.

SUV has Naveen Andrews guesting tonight. Nummy.

Ahhh, candle has been in liquid helium but is not presently? Then it's just a question of whether the flame can heat up the very cold wax enough to melt before it runs out of burning wick, I guess. Yeah, this is going to require empirical tests.

Edited to add:

But I think you'd be right if you tried to light the candle while it was immersed in liquid oxygen.

Ha, you won't get me to do that!

The BNO updates about Haiti are simply heartbreaking.

Oh man, now I have almost-relatives in Haiti, so I have to worry about them, too, instead of just generally.

Some Haiti pics: [link]

Looks completely awful; the epicenter was right outside Port-au-Prince, so tons of infrastructure damage, millions of people felt it, maybe thousands dead.

Dudes. It has been a looooooong week and it's only Tuesday. I'm just now leaving work. Ahhh....12 hour work days. Joy.