China plans to launch the world's first "artificial moon" on the city to illuminate the night sky

According to the China Daily, the world's first artificial moon could be launched by 2020. The Chinese space industry is preparing to put into orbit an artificial moon over the city of Chengdu. The false moon is expected to be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China's Sichuan Province.

The artificial moon will act as a night light. Similar to the true moon, the artificial layer will have a reflective coating that deflects sunlight to the Earth. Only, it will shine eight times more than the real moon, according to scientists, according to the China Daily.

The object has a planned orbit of about 310 miles above the Earth. It's much closer than the real moon, which runs around 239,000 miles on average from our planet.

The artificial moon will be brighter than the one we are accustomed to, according to Wu Chunfeng, chairman of the Tian Fu New Science Area Society in Chengdu, who spoke to the China Daily. It could replace some street lights in Chengdu, which will help save energy, but will not brighten the night sky.

The location and brightness of "moonbeams" can be controlled and targeted to illuminate specific areas, reported the media.

Live Science reports that the height, size and true brightness of the proposed artificial moon are poorly known, which could affect its visibility.

If the launch of this moon is a success, three others could follow in 2022, Wu told China Daily. Wu estimated that Chengdu city could save about $ 174 million (1.2 billion yuan) in electricity each year if the artificial moon illuminated 31 square miles of the city. Artificial moonlight could also be used for other purposes, such as illuminating disaster areas during power outages.