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Officials in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, have unveiled a science-fiction-like plan to launch what's known as a satellite illumination, or "artificial moon," in two years.
Local newspapers reported that the satellite illumination would be designed to complement the moon at night, with its own brightness of the earth's natural satellite, and "bright enough to replace street lights in the city."
The satellite would be able to reach an area of 10 to 80 kilometers, while the precise illumination range can be controlled within a few dozen meters, according to the People's Daily, which quoted a developer at the Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute as saying.
The paper added that testing the enlightenment satellite started years ago and all the technology and design had been finalized.
The man-made moon has a highly reflective coating to reflect light from the sun with solar panel-like wings can be adjusted to achieve "precise lighting." The 14,300-square-meter city of Chengdu would be the first focus of the light from the man-made moon, and astronomers throughout China and overseas should be able to spot the glowing star at night.
But no further specifications of the spacecraft, or its launch date, were available.
Chengdu officials expect the city to reel in more tourists when the artificial moon is up and shining.
A giant model of the moon on China's Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: China News Services
However, some have expressed concern that the light may have adverse effects on the epigenetic clocks of the city's residents.
Kang Weimin, the director of the Institute of Optics of the Harbin Institute of Technology, explained that it could not be more like a night-time.
The idea of an "artificial moon" came from a French artist, who imagined a necklace made of mirrors above the earth, which could reflect on the streets of Paris all year round.
At the end of the 20th century, Russia aims to mount a miracle space station, but the program was called off after glitches.
Using a giant mirror to reflect the sun's light in the dark of the earth in 1999, when the crew was unable to find the umbrella-like mirror after it was caught up with one of the supply ship's antennae.
Soviet republics before reaching Germany and the Czech Republic, The mirror was made to work like an artificial moon, according to a CNN report back then, reflecting sunlight to several regions in Russia and other forms.
Had the day-long experiment gone smoothly and the sky was clear, it could have been a circle of light on the ground, measuring five to eight kilometers and a speed of about seven meters to a second.
The mirror's designers had hoped it would be used as a prototype for much larger cities than in Europe.
Such a mirror could illuminate construction sites, disaster areas or wherever else would be needed, officials said. Designers said a series of mirrors or a giant mirror could harness the sun to overcome darkness and even help boost agriculture by lengthening the day.
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