Burning Bright

What shape is fire?

This week’s parsha discusses the various kinds of korbanos that can be brought on the mizbeiach. The fire of the mizbeiach was kept burning constantly. In the natural world, fire can take on many unusual qualities. For example, the color of a fire depends on what is being burned. Copper burns green, lithium burns red, and sodium produces a bright yellow flame. Some fires, such as those fueled by certain metals, react violently with water, making the fire worse instead of extinguishing it. Some fires can burn in environments without oxygen.

When a fire is lit in space, such as in a space station, the flames do not form a typical upward flickering shape. Instead, since there is no gravity, they form a sphere.