Slashdot Mirror
Chinese City 'Plans To Launch Artificial Moon To Replace Streetlights' (theguardian.com)
The south-western Chinese city of Chengdu is planning to launch an illumination satellite in 2020 that is "designed to complement the moon at night," though it would be eight times as bright. "The 'dusk-like glow' of the satellite would be able to light an area with a diameter of 10-80km, while the precise illumination range could be controlled within tens of meters -- enabling it to replace streetlights," reports The Guardian. From the report: The vision was shared by Wu Chunfeng, the chairman of the private space contractor Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute Co (Casc), at a national mass innovation and entrepreneurship event held in Chengdu last week. Wu reportedly said testing had begun on the satellite years ago and the technology had now evolved enough to allow for launch in 2020. It is not clear whether the plan has the backing of the city of Chengdu or the Chinese government, though Casc is the main contractor for the Chinese space program.
The People's Daily was quick to reassure those concerned about the fake moon's impact on night-time wildlife. It cited Kang Weimin, director of the Institute of Optics, School of Aerospace, Harbin Institute of Technology, who "explained that the light of the satellite is similar to a dusk-like glow, so it should not affect animals' routines."
The People's Daily was quick to reassure those concerned about the fake moon's impact on night-time wildlife. It cited Kang Weimin, director of the Institute of Optics, School of Aerospace, Harbin Institute of Technology, who "explained that the light of the satellite is similar to a dusk-like glow, so it should not affect animals' routines."
In-city viewing is less than ideal, of course, but it's not impossible to find darker areas, even within a metropolis city limits.
I can't imagine that hobbyist astronomers are going to be very thrilled about this.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
It never dawned on me that someone lighting up the earth with satellites would ever make sense. Man will run this earth, without looking back, until it bites him in the ass.
--
Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light - Helen Keller
"...similar to a dusk-like glow, so it should not affect animals' routines."
Is s/he a fool or does s/he think we are?
Dusk all night long, no, that wouldn't upset anything.
Why not a "Natural, noon-like glare" ? Shouldn't upset anything either.
The nice thing about the moon is the cycle - when it's full it's nice illumination and the world looks interesting, but a new moon is almost as great with a fairly starry sky even in a city if the air is really clear.
What they could do to help this though, is to turn off the light very late - say midnight or 1am. That way you still get the safety benefits of good illumination, but you also can still stay up late to see stars if you like.
I wonder how safe this will be compared to real street-lights though - one of the issues with moonlight even when it is bright, is that the light is so flat with poor shadowing that depth perception is hampered. Maybe since this is brighter it will be a lot better.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
No, a bigger problem: Chengdu smog is as bad as Beijing. They rarely see the moon, and often you can't tell where the sun is.
Will the fake moonlight be able to penetrate thick smog?
I'd bet dollars to donuts that this is a mirror.
According to TFA, it is based on mirrors. It will be in GEO, with is at 42,000 km, so it would have to be aimed with extreme accuracy, and to light an entire metropolitan area, it would have to be enormous.
And it is supposed to be ready-to-go in 2020. That is wildly implausible.