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Chinese Scientists Achieve Record-Low Temperature in Space
Confirmed
In Short: Scientists aboard China's Tiangong space station achieved a record-low temperature of 9.7 picokelvins, about 280 billion times colder than the average background temperature of space.
Scientists aboard China's Tiangong space station achieved a record-low temperature of 9.7 picokelvins, about 280 billion times colder than the average background temperature of space, according to reports.
The experiment, conducted in the ultra-cold atom physics rack aboard the space station, cooled a cloud of rubidium atoms to an equivalent temperature of 9.7 picokelvins, an achievement that marks a significant step toward absolute zero, the lowest temperature theoretically possible.
In the microgravity environment of the space station, the atoms could float freely and reach far lower temperatures without strong external confinement.
The achievement is not simply another extreme-temperature stunt; it opens new possibilities for studying gravity and dark matter.
Physicists chilled about 20,000 rubidium atoms to an equivalent temperature of 9.7 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero, which is minus 459.67°F (minus 273.15°C).
The team's apparatus has been running on the station since October 2022, and the experiment's success is attributed to the microgravity environment, which allowed the atoms to float freely and reach far lower temperatures.
The researchers write in a paper published in Science that the equivalent temperature had fallen somewhere between 7.0 and 12.9 picokelvins.
The team's work demonstrates the versatility of space-based platforms for quantum simulation and could lead to new insights into fundamental physics.
The experiment's success highlights the potential of space-based research for pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding.
The team's achievement is a testament to the advancements in space technology and the potential for further discoveries in the future.
What this adds
This report adds details about the specific temperature achieved and the duration the cooled atoms were stable, compared to BACKGROUND lines.
The BACKGROUND lines mention the record-low temperature but do not specify the exact temperature or the duration of stability.
Background
Scientists aboard China's Tiangong space station achieved a record-low temperature of 9.7 picokelvins, about 280 billion times colder than the average background temperature of space.
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
- 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
- Discover Magazinelink
- Earth.comlink
- Martin Cid Magazinelink
- Science Newslink
- The Brighter Side of Newslink
- ZME Sciencelink
- E360link
- NASAlink
- Thevibeslink
- Interestingengineeringlink
- Newslink
- ScienceAlertlink
- Newatlaslink
- Warpbeatlink
- WarpBeat — background on Chinese Scientists Achieve Record Temperature 280 Billion Times Colder Than Space link