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China's Tiangong Space Station Sets Record for Coldest Temperature
Confirmed
In Short: Scientists aboard China's Tiangong space station achieved a record-low temperature of about 10 trillionths of a kelvin in a Bose-Einstein condensate experiment.
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Scientists aboard China's Tiangong space station achieved a record-low temperature of about 10 trillionths of a kelvin in a Bose-Einstein condensate experiment, barely a smidge above absolute zero (−273.15° Celsius).
The experiment, conducted in the microgravity environment of the space station, cooled a cloud of rubidium atoms to an equivalent temperature of 9.7 picokelvin, 14 orders of magnitude below the roughly 300 kelvin room temperature on Earth, and kept it stable for observation for seven seconds.
In the microgravity environment of the space station, atoms could float freely and reach far lower temperatures without strong external confinement.
The previous lowest figure for such a system was 38 picokelvin, and NASA’s Cold Atom Lab on the International Space Station had reached 52 picokelvin.
The Chinese research team remotely controlled the space station's equipment from the ground to make the breakthrough, said the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization.
The experiment was carried out in the ultra-cold atom physics rack aboard China's space station, organized by the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the CAS, while completed by Beijing University and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) of the CAS.
The record-low temperature experiment was conducted in the microgravity environment of the space station, where atoms could float freely and reach far lower temperatures without strong external confinement.
The team's achievement marks a major step toward absolute zero, the lowest temperature theoretically possible, creating the coldest artificial substance known to date.
The experiment's success highlights the importance of microgravity environments for achieving ultra-low temperatures, as ground experiments can follow a released cloud for about 0.05 seconds before it falls out of view, while the International Space Station manages roughly one second, and the Chinese station now reaches seven seconds.
Background
Scientists aboard China's Tiangong space station achieved a record-low temperature of about 10 trillionths of a kelvin in a Bose-Einstein condensate experiment.
What's confirmed
- It was organized by the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the CAS, while completed by Beijing University and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) of the CAS.
- A cloud of rubidium atoms aboard China’s Tiangong space station has been chilled to less than ten trillionths of a degree above absolute zero, the coldest temperature ever reported for a gas of atoms.
What's still developing
- But on the space station, the atoms experienced microgravity, the apparent weightlessness of an object in free fall.
- Similarly, in systems of cold atoms, scientists can define an effective temperature based on how slowly the atoms spread apart when they are allowed to expand.
- Britain is projected to see its hottest June day on record this week, with temperatures reaching upwards of 97 degrees F (36 degrees C) on Tuesday, according to the U.K. Met Office.
- About a month prior, it had dipped below the previous record-low level of 3,519.92 feet, set on April 13, 2023, and continued to tick downward in early September.
- The Colorado River feeds Lake Powell and then Lake Mead farther downstream, which also hit record-low levels in August 2026.
- Global temperatures reaches 16.96°C, briefly exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels as extreme heat, wildfires, floods and droughts intensified worldwide Updated 4 minutes ago · Published on 10 Sep 2026 10:55AM THE month of August this year tied the record for the world’s hottest month since records began, with global average temperatures exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time since November 2025, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday.
- The global average surface air temperature reached 16.96°C last month, matching July 2023 as the highest recorded for any month and putting temperatures 1.65°C above the 19th-century pre-industrial average, before the widespread industrial use of coal, oil and gas.
- Existing studies suggest AMOC strengthening during DO events occurred within decades, but this rests on ice-core δ 18 O records, a signal influenced by both temperature and moisture source.
- August was the joint hottest month ever observed, tying with July 2023, as the most severe super El Niño on record amplified temperatures already heightened by global warming.
- August was also a record warm month for the extra-polar ocean – the regions lying just outside the Arctic and Antarctic circles – peaking at 21.1°C, the hottest temperature ever observed in the sea surface.
- The UK recorded its hottest summer since records began in 1884, with an average temperature of 16.5°C, exceeding last year's record by 0.4°C.
- England's driest July on record contributed to drought declarations across half the country, with 54 weather stations breaking daily maximum temperature records.
Sources
- Awani Internationallink
- Martin Cid Magazinelink
- Science Newslink
- E360link
- NASAlink
- Thevibeslink
- Popscilink
- BBClink
- Miragenewslink
- Newscientistlink
- Thenationalnewslink
- WarpBeat — background on China's Tiangong Space Station Sets Record for Coldest Temperature link
- CGTN Podcasts — video link
- The Sunday Guardian — video link
- Science Frontier — video link