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Composite images | Manjik Night Skyline Photo / iStock / Getty Images Plus; photo of the full moon courtesy of Public Domain Pictures; St. George News
ST. GEORGE – "In the light of the silver moon" could have a whole new meaning for a Chinese city in 2020 when a lighting satellite, also called "artificial moon," is launched into space.
Scientists plan to suspend the artificial moon over Chengdu City, one of the most populated cities in western China, according to a report from the Chinese state press released Thursday.
The artificial lunar orb is designed to complement the moon at night. It's eight times brighter than the real moon and project a "twilight glow" on the city, according to satellite developers.
The artificial moon will be able to illuminate an area up to 50 miles in diameter, with a total area of more than 1,960 square miles, but with a lighting range so precise that it can be controlled a few feet away. The amount of light can also be affected by weather conditions, with less light on overcast days, for example.
The artificial moon is actually a satellite carrying a huge spatial mirror used to reflect sunlight to the Earth. The mirror can be set for brightness and can be turned off completely if necessary.
The satellite should be placed in orbit less than 300 km from the Earth, a little closer to the moon, which orbits more than 230,000 km from the Earth.
The orb launch will work as an experimental satellite to allow scientists to identify any defect or problem in the design of the object. The launch of Chengdu is the precursor of another launch in 2022, while three other artificial satellites are expected to be transported more than 300 km above the Earth.
"At that time, the three huge mirrors will divide the 360-degree orbital plane … illuminating an area for 24 hours all the time," Wu Chunfeng, chairman of the new Tian Fu Science Society in Chengdu, said on Thursday. , in an interview with China Daily.
False moon projects
The concept of an enlightening satellite is not new: the United States and Russia have explored similar ideas.
In 1993, Russia conducted an experiment called "Banner", launching a 65-foot-diameter satellite called Znamya. The project was launched with the aim of reducing the lighting costs of existing cities and allowing longer working days in the darkest areas.
According to a report by the Smithsonian Institution, Znamya briefly lit the earth as a giant night light in orbit.
The satellite remained in the sky only a few days before igniting when it returned to Earth's atmosphere, but Russian scientists considered it a huge success.
A second larger mirror was launched six years later, but it tore before being deployed and also burned back into Earth's atmosphere.
The cost of lighting
All living creatures, including humans, have an internal clock, known as the Circadian Rhythm, which is roughly structured as a 24-hour natural day, part of the predictable day and night rhythm of the Earth, encoded in the DNA of all animals, according to the international association Dark Sky.
Scientific evidence suggests that many creatures, including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants, have negative or even fatal effects associated with artificial night light.
Lights can draw and disorient emerging turtles, moths, frogs and amphibians. Artificial light affects migration, navigation, flowering of plants and leaf loss.
Highlights on the moon
- The moon is around 239,000 miles above the Earth and is the fifth largest natural satellite in the solar system. It is the largest moon among all the others compared to the size of the planet that it orbits.
- The moon is locked, so that only one of its sides is visible from the Earth.
- The moon is less reflective than the Earth, reflecting only 3 to 12% of the sunlight falling on its surface, while the Earth reflects about 42%. The sun is also 400,000 times brighter than the full moon seen from Earth.
- The moon has a much lower gravity than the Earth because of its smaller mass. An individual would weigh about one-sixth of what he weighs on Earth.
- The moon does not absorb nor emit light. Any light from the moon is simply reflected by the sunlight.
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