The Dispatch
Share this post
Did China Launch an ‘Artificial Sun’ Into Space?
thedispatch.com

Did China Launch an ‘Artificial Sun’ Into Space?

No.

Alec Dent
Jan 11
17
4
Share this post
Did China Launch an ‘Artificial Sun’ Into Space?
thedispatch.com
A rocket carrying two experimental satellites blasts off on December 23, 2021, in Wenchang, Hainan Province of China. (Photograph by Yuan Chen/VCG/Getty Images.)

The last few days have seen a rise in viral social media posts claiming to show the Chinese government launching an “artificial sun.”

akademiks
A post shared by DJ Akademiks (@akademiks)

This is not the first time this claim has gone viral; in September 2021, a video from YouTube account “Proven Facts” shared a video showing another supposed launch.

China does have a nuclear reactor called the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) that has been referred to as China’s “artificial sun” because it is able to simulate the fusion reactions occurring within stars and reach incredibly high temperatures. Last week, the reactor made headlines after state media reported it performed a record-setting 17-minute fusion reaction. However, what is depicted in the viral videos is not China’s artificial sun. The reactor—which can be seen in this picture from the Smithsonian Magazine—is a machine inside a laboratory, not an actual sunlike object shot into the sky. 

The viral videos appear to show the launch of satellites or rockets, with the latest video showing the December 23, 2021, launch of a Chinese satellite. Another video taken from a different vantage point shows people watching from the beach, and smoke and rocket look identical to the “artificial sun” launch in the viral video. 

If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.

4
Share this post
Did China Launch an ‘Artificial Sun’ Into Space?
thedispatch.com
4 Comments

Create your profile

0 subscriptions will be displayed on your profile (edit)

Skip for now

Only Dispatch Members only can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.

Ben Connelly
Writes Hardihood Books Jan 11

“ This is not the first time this claim has gone viral;”

I almost spit out my coffee when I read that. I’m still laughing.

Expand full comment
ReplyCollapse
BestUsedCarSales
Jan 12

I'm just going to lower my definition of artificial sun until I can say it's true. For what really is a lightbulb except man's hubristic struggle to steal glory from the heaven's mighty bulbs.

Expand full comment
ReplyCollapse
2 more comments…
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2022 The Dispatch
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Publish on Substack Get the app
Substack is the home for great writing