China’s Artificial Moon — — A great innovation or a definite failure?
Imagine that in Chengdu, China in 2020, when you look up at the sky, you may see a new, bright star. It may be an artificial moon, which is used to take place of street lights for night illumination.
The principle is very simple: using a mirror to reflect sunlight.
Some scientists said the artificial moon brings at least 3 benefits. First, due to the planned orbit is only 500 kms distance above the earth, the artificial moon will brings eight times brighter light than the real moon. Second, based on that, it could save around 174 million dollars in electricity annually if the artificial moon illuminated 50 sq km. Third, when a region is in dark due to natural disasters, the artificial moon lighting can be really helpful.
From my perspective, if the artificial moon wants to be put into use, scientists must at least answer the following questions. First, since the brightness is only eight times of the moonlight, can the moon penetrate the clouds in cloudy days? Second, will the irregular alternations between night and day disrupt residents’ metabolic patterns? Third, will the moon be hit by space debris?
Reference:
- Man-made moon to shed light on Chengdu in 2020, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201810/19/WS5bc922f3a310eff303283431.html
- 2022 年我国用人造月亮照明？这个想法我在科幻小说里见过, https://36kr.com/p/5158053.html
