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Create a "new moon" up to eight times brighter than our natural satellite. A luminous balloon made by the man who illuminates an entire city and is visible from other parts of the country and from abroad.
This is the goal of the Chengdu Aerospace Research Institute, one of the three most populous cities in the world. Western China.
The planned date for putting this "artificial moon" into orbit in space is 2020, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China of the People's Daily reported.
The goal is to " save money for the city by eliminating the need for street lamps because one s & # 39; Expects this artificial star to illuminate a light. According to the report,
Little is known about its height and size, nor about the financing of the project, but the idea is to reflect the sunlight at through some wings.
Wu Chunfeng, chairman of the organization responsible for the project, said at a conference in Chengdu on Oct. 10 that if the launch ended, there would be three more in 2022 .
According to Chunfeng, this system could allow the city to save up to $ 170 million in electricity costs.
Another use might be to 39; help relief during natural disasters, added the specialist, as well as attracting all
he also said that this "moon" has been developing for several years.
But what impact could a giant mirror in space have?
Could it affect the flora and fauna of the Earth which depends on the night cycles? And to plants, unaccustomed to the excess of light?
As a "glow"
Several surveys have shown that "many animals are very sensitive to the light and phases of the moon," emphasized the scientific publication Living Science .
For example, nocturnal owls communicate with the feathers in the throat and scientists have discovered that their activity increased during the full moon, when it is brighter.
And on the Great Australian Barrier Reef, hundreds of coral species simultaneously release their eggs and sperm at a major annual event related to the brightness of the moon.
Kang Weimin, of the Aerospace School of Harbin Institute of Technology in China, said that the artificial light of the "moon" that they have the intention to build will be "similar to the evening glow" and will not affect animal routines. " 19659003] It will be intended to complete the Earth's natural satellite, said the scientists
The Russian precedent
This is not the first time that a city intends to imitate the function of the moon.
Russia presented a similar project from the early 90s. It was a "space mirror" orbiting space, producing a light "equivalent to three to five full moons ]explained the American newspaper. The New York Times .
Russia's idea was that its system covers an area about 5 kilometers in diameter, illuminating remote areas of Siberia and western Russia near the Arctic Circle. 19659003] The experiment involved the development of several mirrors of different sizes, controlled from the Russian space station. But he never succeeds.
In February 1993, a "mirror" 20 meters long was placed by a satellite "proving that the idea worked well". The problem with which the scientists did not count was that the clouds prevented to see the light that projected.
Two hours later, it was destroyed in the earth's atmosphere. In 1999, the project was completely canceled when a new 25-meter mirror was connected to an antenna during launch tests.
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