The nuclear fusion that occurs at the sun’s core has inspired scientists to develop a nuclear reactor. This “artificial sun” was made by subjecting electrically charged gas, or plasma, to temperatures of 216 and 288 million degrees Fahrenheit for a total of 101 and 20 seconds, respectively.

This is ten times hotter than the center of the Sun, where temperatures reach 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. That’s quite sizzling. So what is this about?