'100 million degrees of heat': China’s artificial sun threatens to end fossil fuels forever
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Artificial sun
China’s EAST reactor just hit 100 million degrees Celsius—hotter than the Sun’s core—pushing the dream of limitless, clean fusion energy closer to reality than ever before.
Fusion leap
Unlike splitting atoms in fission, fusion smashes hydrogen nuclei together, unleashing massive energy without carbon emissions or long-lasting radioactive waste—EAST leads that charge.
Heat barrier
Reaching 100 million degrees isn’t new—but holding it steady is. China’s breakthrough proves it can sustain this plasma furnace long enough to make future reactors practical.
Global race
While EAST breaks records, other fusion giants like ITER in France and SPARC in the US race to catch up, making nuclear fusion a fierce international contest for the energy future.
Credit: ITER.org
Sun power
Fusion mimics what happens inside stars—crushing atoms together to release energy. China’s achievement brings us one step closer to putting a tiny star on Earth to power entire cities.
Energy revolution
With fossil fuels fading and climate threats rising, fusion offers an endless, clean energy source. China’s EAST milestone could be the spark that finally lights that future.
Extreme challenge
Containing a plasma hotter than the Sun requires magnetic fields so strong they warp steel—China’s tech mastery in superconducting magnets is helping to solve that puzzle.
Credit: Xinhua
Next frontier
After EAST’s success, China’s CFETR project aims to go even further—creating sustained fusion long enough to actually generate electricity, not just scientific data.
Credit: Xinhua
Future unlocked
If fusion becomes real, it could power not just cities but space missions—providing the thrust for deep-space travel, all thanks to breakthroughs like China’s artificial sun.
Representative pic