 |
|
| A candle of similar size and style as SCP-302 |
|---|
Item #: SCP-302
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-302 is currently stored in a secure container adjacent to a dedicated testing chamber located in Site-██. The chamber is approximately 1.5 m x 1.5 m x 1.5 m, and lined with liquid-cooled thermal insulation tiles. Due to the intense heat the item creates when lit, it is required that all testing be performed using remote methods. As the object requires oxygen to burn, the testing chamber has been fitted with a CO2 extinguisher which should be used to extinguish the candle remotely. Should secondary fires ignite, normal firefighting methods can be used to extinguish them, although SCP-302 will likely continue to re-ignite them until it itself is extinguished. It is not recommended that water be used to extinguish SCP-302, as the water will flash to steam almost instantly due to the extreme temperatures, potentially causing injury to SCP personnel (See Addendum-302-1).
Description: SCP-302, when recovered, was a white pillar candle similar to those commonly used for liturgical purposes, measuring approximately 27 cm tall and 7.7 cm in diameter. After testing, it is currently contained as three separate candles, designated SCP-302-1, -2, and -3, respectively, as well as SCP-302-4, consisting of collected wax drippings from the three candles, massing about 79 g. SCP-302-1 is the primary candle, approximately 15 cm tall and 7.7 cm in diameter. SCP-302-2 is a segment of candle approximately 5 cm long cut from the bottom of SCP-302. SCP-302-3 is a small candle approximately 1.5 cm tall and 4 cm in diameter, resembling a "tea light" candle, made with wax from SCP-302 molded around a standard candle wick.
When lit, SCP-302 burns with an intense, white flame. Instruments indicate that the temperature at the point of combustion reaches approximately 5,750 Kelvin, the average temperature of the surface of the sun. The candle will cause flammable materials near it to ignite almost immediately, with temperatures of over 2000K being recorded 1 m from the flame. Spectroscopy of the flame matches the emission spectrum of the sun, leading some researchers to hypothesize that the candle creates a "portal" to the surface of the sun rather than truly burning. An experiment is under development to prove or disprove this conjecture, but researchers are limited both due to the extreme conditions involved and very small size of the theoretical portal.
Testing has shown that both the wick and the wax are required to create and sustain the intense flame. Analysis of both have identified a number of previously-unknown compounds, including [DATA EXPUNGED]. The wax is extremely resistant to heat, requiring temperatures in excess of 4500 K before melting, whereupon it flows, vaporizes, and burns like regular candle wax. The wick appears to be the initial source of the effect, igniting much like a standard candle wick, but burning at a much higher temperature. Without the wax present, the wick will rapidly consume itself. See Addendum-302-2 for the full testing log.
SCP-302 was discovered by Foundation researchers in a news article about a house fire. A quote from the homeowner, a deacon at the local church, described a strange candle, "burning with the holy light of God himself." Agents ███████████ and ██████ were dispatched to investigate. With their assistance, the local fire marshal determined that the fire was started when a standard "all-week" candle was left unattended and fell over, possibly due to the homeowner's cat. The candle was recovered from the remains of the house, having been extinguished by debris soon after the rest of the house caught fire. The homeowner claimed to have purchased the candle through [DATA REDACTED], a liturgical supply company. Research into this company is ongoing. Following their investigation, the homeowner was committed to the ████████████████ Mental Hospital for testing, due to his "intense hallucinations and delusions" possibly caused by shock due to the sudden loss of his house and cat. A follow-up story containing the fire marshal’s findings and the homeowner's unfortunate mental collapse was published in the same paper two days later.
Addendum:
Addenda and testing log currently under review for release by O5-█.