Laser Turns Metal Into Glowing Star Stuff in a Trillionth of a Second

Scientists used super-powerful lasers to turn copper metal into a glowing hot gas called plasma [a state of matter like a star is made of], and they filmed it happening faster than you can blink! The copper atoms were ripped apart and put back together again in just a trillionth of a second—that's like watching the world's fastest magic trick. Who knew lasers could turn regular metal into something that looks like a tiny star?