The Chinese city of Chengdu may soon be home to many "moons"

Have you always wanted the Earth to have a second moon? Then you will be delighted to learn that the Research Institute of Microelectronic Systems of Aerospace Science and Technology of Chengdu plans to launch several mini-moons, the first of which will appear in the heavens as early as 2020.

The exciting announcement was made by the Institute's president, Wu Chunfeng, at the National Conference on Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship, held in Chengdu from 9 to 15 October 2018. Similar to our Satellite, the light of the artificial orb will be obtained from the sun and reflected on the Earth by its mirror-like coating. However, since the mini-moon will be located just 300 miles above Chengdu City, it will look eight times brighter. According to Chunfeng, the amount of reflected light can be controlled from Earth and even extinguished, if necessary.

While multiple "moons" will certainly appear picturesque, the goal of this challenge effort is of keep Resources. The experts of Chengdu Aerospace to affirm the twilight glow of the moon will allow them to eliminate expensive street lights in China hectic cities. They estimate that the lighting of only 31 square miles (50 square kilometers) of the Chengdu night sky using the artificial satellite will save the city about 1.2 billion yuan ($ 174 million) a year. In addition, since the location of the orb can be easily moved, it could also be used to illuminate areas devastated by an electrical disaster.

Once the first "moon" has worked successfully, experts plan to launch three more, by 2022 hopefully. Together, the satellites, which will rise depending on their position in relation to the sun, should light up 2,000 people at 4,000 square miles (3,600 to 6,400 square kilometers). While the orbs will be visible Through a telescope from around the globe, their true beauty will only be visible when visiting the city. Officials believe that they will attract huge numbers of tourists and help boost Chengdu's economy.

As is often the case with the radicals breakthroughs, the artificial "moons" provoke apprehension among some experts. They are concerned about their impact on the sleep patterns of humans and animals. However, officials at Chengdu Aerospace believe that satellites will cause little if any, disturbance.

"We will perform our tests only in an uninhabited desert, so that our light beams do not interfere with anybody or with any Earth-based space observation equipment," Chunfeng told China Daily. . "When the satellite goes into service, people will only see a bright star above, not a giant moon as we imagine."

The idea of ​​creating artificial "moons" to save energy is not new. In the 1990s, Russia attempted to launch into space a system of solar reflection mirrors called Znamya 2. However, the project was discarded after one of the satellites was destroyed during deployment. If the Chinese scientists succeed, he could herald a new wave in harness the energy of the sun and "moons" arise in busy cities around the world. Beware of Jupiter; your 67 satellites could soon blade in comparison with those of the Earth!

Resources: Forbes.com, astronomy.com, livescience.com, interestingengineering.con