Ask an Explainer
Q:
Does it need to be a certain temperature to launch a hot air balloon?
A:
YES: not just any heat is going to launch a hot air balloon!
Hot air balloons work because of buoyancy: the air inside of the balloon must be hotter and less dense than the air around it. This way, the denser air outisde will push it up to the sky!
You need to have the heat just right, so as to make the air inside hot enough to allow the balloon to rise. Too hot, and it will go too high, not hot enough, it won't take off at all.
The heat you need will depend entirely on the weather at takeoff!
Posted on December 3, 2015 at 3:15 pm
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