A month after China announced its plans to roll out a series of fake moons (satellites) to illuminate urban streets, researchers in the country have created an artificial sun with an aim to use it as an alternate source of energy in future, rt.com reported.
The artificial sun’s temperatures can reach up to 100 million degrees (Celsius), which can make the heat from the real sun seem a lot less intense. In comparison, the temperature of the real sun’s core just is about 15 million degrees (Celsius).
According to the report, the earth-based solar simulator, designed by the Institute of Plasma Physics, replicates the way in which the Sun generates its energy.
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is a large machine set inside a round box on the Science Island in Eastern China’s Anhui Province.
The project uses nuclear fusion to create the heat, the report said, adding that the cost of turning on the machine is $15,000 per day. Nuclear fusion occurs when nuclei are joined together to release energy. Scientists say nuclear fusion, if developed safely, can be a big source of clean energy.
China had in Octobed announced plans to develop "illumination satellites" that would will shine in tandem with the real moon, but they’ll be eight times brighter, according to China Daily.
(With inputs from rt.com and China daily)
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