The Moon is great, but apparently it's just not enough for the city of
Chengdu in China. Not satisfied with the meager light the Moon reflects back
down to Earth at night, scientists in the region plan
to launch a satellite that will actually reflect sunlight back down to Earth
and turn night into day... sort of.
The satellite is effectively a giant mirror that will redirect sunlight back
down on Chengdu even after the Sun sets. The spacecraft will be roughly eight
times brighter than the Moon, according to the Chengdu Aerospace Science and
Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute, and should provide enough
light that it will actually make street lights totally irrelevant for at least
part of the city.
If this all sounds kind of bizarre that's because it is. It really, really
is. The group planning the satellite says the mirror will produce light over an
area of between 5 and 50 miles. That's, well, not a very specific, and it's
unclear from current reports just how long the satellite will last.
There's also been some very real concern that the mirror's never-ending glow
could seriously impact natural cycles of animals. Scientists have long been
critical of human light pollution and its ability to potentially throw off the
day/night rhythm of animals, and the same could be true of this fake moon plan.
Some experts who support the plan suggest that it'll produce little more than a
"twilight glow" that shouldn't change how animals behave, but nobody will know
for certain until the satellite is up and running.
The institute working on the satellite plans to have the fake moon deployed
by 2020. There seems to be some conflicting information over just how bright the
light will be — something bright enough to make street lights obsolete sure
sounds like it's brighter than a "glow" — so it'll be interesting to see just
how well the mirror works... or doesn't.
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