North Korea Claims to Have Created 'Artificial Sun'

North Korea says it has discovered the secrets of nuclear fusion, allowing it to create an “artificial sun” able to produce untold amounts of energy—which would be quite a feat for a country that currently lacks the power to keep the lights on at night. Nuclear fusion, the process that takes place inside the sun, would be extremely difficult to control, scientists tell Reuters, and the North Koreans' claims are “absurd.”

The announcement coincides with the birthday of state founder Kim Il-Sung, also known as the “Day of the Sun.” The state media often report miraculous, science-bending events on the occasion, like double rainbows, or sunrises so bright that frost literally explodes. “Maybe if two suns show up in the sky tomorrow, then people could believe the claim,” says one South Korean nuclear expert. (More North Korea stories.)