Beijing, China

Chinese astronauts on board China's Tiangong space station have lit a candle with a match during a live broadcast, which was said to be impossible and dangerous too. 

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During a live lecture broadcast from the space station on Sep 21, two astronauts - Gui Haichao and Zhu Yangzhu - lit a candle in order to show how flames burn in microgravity. 

To amaze all those who were watching, the flames appear virtually spherical, rather than the teardrop-shaped flames, which we see on Earth. 

Some were even stunned as the International Space Station (ISS) has strict rules regarding flammable materials and open flames. 

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Also read: Indian Air Force shares 'first-look' of India's ISRO Gaganyaan Astronauts 

As quoted in the video provided by China Central Television (CCTV), Gui said: "You can see that the flame of a candle in the space station burns in a spherical shape, while in comparison, the flame of a candle burns in a cone shape when the candle is upright on Earth." 

Last month, the Chinese astronauts delivered a few live lectures from space, giving young viewers an insight into their lives in orbit. 

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The Chinese space agency said that the astronauts gave an introduction to their working and living environment in the space station's Mengtian lab module. 

The astronauts also invited their audience to participate in experiments to explore the mysteries of the universe and identify differences between experiments on Earth and in space.

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They also conducted a series of entertaining experiments aboard the Tiangong space station, such as a spherical flame experiment, a water droplet "table tennis" experiment, a momentum conservation experiment, and a gyroscope experiment. But the one when they lit a candle became the highlight. 

Also read: Here's how Russia's Moon mission lost out to India's Chandrayaan-3

Astronauts also had real-time interactions with the teachers and students on Earth during the lecture.

Zhao Ziyi, a student from Beihang University, said: "I am so proud to see our professor Gui giving a lecture in the space station. As one of the first batch of students in Beihang University's special plan on aerospace mechanics, I will work harder to devote myself to the construction of basic disciplines, follow in the footsteps of astronauts, and realize our dream to give back to our motherland with aerospace development." 

(With inputs from agencies)

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