Can you bring a star to Earth? What is artificial sun and artificial moon? Which country made them and why?

How does an artificial sun work?

It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius, according to the People's Daily—approximately ten times hotter than the core of the sun.

Is it possible to create a sun?

It's Definitely Possible!

We all know how important the Sun is for our species’ survival. It’s not just some celestial body in outer space; it’s a tremendous fireball and an incredible source of energy, ensuring that life, as we know it, can exist and thrive.

As it turns out, we can have an artificial sun on Earth, but as you might expect, creating an artificial sun takes a bit more than conducting a small experiment with regular equipment in a typical laboratory.

Who made artificial sun?

China had recently successfully activated its “artificial sun,” which is a nuclear fusion reactor that grants the country with fuel for years to come. They just need to make it more sustainable.

China’s Artificial Sun: What is it

1.   China’s Atomic Energy Authority tested its HL-2M Tokamak reactor for the first time on Friday, December 4, 2020. 

2.    The brief test which lasted for a few seconds has been hailed as an important achievement in the field of science. It can be used to provide safer fuel amid a global crisis.

3.   HL-2M Tokamak can help China in reaching its target to produce fusion energy commercially by 2050

4.    The power in the reactor is generated by applying powerful magnetic fields to a contained loop of hot plasma. The plasma can reach temperatures of more than 150 million centigrades.

5.   The plasma heats up to 10 times more than the core of the sun but is contained using magnets and supercooling technique. Temperature of the sun is 5,778 K.

6.  China has also been working with the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project which is a coalition of dozens of nuclear-powered nations.

Why did China create artificial sun?

It merges atomic nuclei to create massive amounts of energy -- the opposite of the fission process used in atomic weapons and nuclear power plants, which splits them into fragments. Unlike fission, fusion emits no greenhouse gases and carries less risk of accidents or the theft of atomic material.

Significance:

1.   The development of nuclear fusion energy would lead to solving China’s energy requirements. 

2.  It would also provide for the future sustainable development of China’s energy and national economy boosting.

3.   The Chinese Energy Agency’s aim is to develop a reliable form of nuclear fusion based on the concept

4. Fusion is considered prohibitively expensive, but this testing by China would help the researchers in their search for ways to reduce costs

What is the meaning of nuclear fusion?

Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons). The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the release or the absorption of energy.

What are the Challenges with Nuclear Fusion in Lab

1.   When two atoms fuse, they release an enormous amount of energy. On Earth, keeping it under control so it does not explode remains a serious challenge.

2.    The hot gas formed by fusing atoms burns or melts everything that comes in contact.

3.  The nuclear reaction also generates a large number of high-speed particles that can in turn damage buildings or human tissue if not properly contained.

Way Forward

China aims to achieve the commercial production of fusion energy by the year 2050 and it is suggestive that this country would believe in the idea even when others abandon it considering it a costly, risky and arguably hopeless cause. ITER has also been working on its own reactor in France, It is expected to be completed in 2025.

How long will the sun last?

The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old - gauged on the age of other objects in the Solar System that formed around the same time. And, based on observations of other stars, astronomers predict it will reach the end of its life in about another 10 billion years.

Where does the sun get oxygen?

The sun, like the rest of the universe, is made mostly of hydrogen. There isn't enough oxygen in the entire solar system to keep the surface of the sun burning through chemical combustion for more than a very short time—probably hours. Instead, the sun's heat and light comes from thermonuclear fusion.

Can you bring a star to Earth?

It's not just possible -- it's already been done. If you think of a star as a nuclear fusion machine, mankind has duplicated the nature of stars on Earth. But this revelation has qualifiers. The examples of fusion here on Earth are on a small scale and last for just a few seconds at most.

Which country made artificial moon?

China is planning to launch its own 'artificial moon' by 2022 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas, state media reported Friday.

Does China have an artificial moon?

The night skies might soon have company: Chinese scientists are planning to launch three artificial moons into orbit by 2022 to illuminate city streets after dark. ... It will also orbit much closer to Earth; about 500 km (310 miles) away, compared to the moon's 380,000 km (236,000 miles). To be put on an orbit within 500 km from Earth, the illumination intensity is expected to be eight times of the moon light.

What is the artificial moon?

The artificial or man-made moon is a satellite carrying a huge space mirror, which can reflect the sun light to the Earth.

The artificial moon would be a mirror orbiting Chengdu at a height of 500 km. It would reflect the sun's light at night, and supplement street lighting in Chengdu, which has a population of 1.6 million. The reflected sun light can cover an area of 3,600 sq km to 6,400 sq km, and the illumination intensity is expected to be eight times of the moon light.

About concerns that the man-made moonlight will interrupt the normal day-night cycle of animals and plants, Wu said the light intensity and illumination time can be adjusted and the accuracy of illumination can be controlled within scores of meters. When a man-made moon is orbiting, people can only see a bright star in the sky.

Man-made moon is especially useful in civil area. Using man-made moon to illuminate an area 50 sq km can save 1.2 billion yuan of electric charge. It can also illuminate blackout areas when natural disasters such as earthquake happen.