Authorities in the Chinese city of Chengdu plan to launch an “artificial moon” that will replace street lights and illuminate the city with powerful artificial light, the state-run People’s Daily reported this week.
The chairman of Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute, Wu Chunfeng, announced the project at a national mass innovation and entrepreneurship conference last week, the official publication of the Chinese Communist Party reported, which will be used to “complement the moon at night” and will allegedly be eight times as bright.
“Wu introduced that the brightness of the ‘artificial moon’ is eight times that of the real moon, and will be bright enough to replace street lights,” the paper reported. “The satellite will be able to light an area with a diameter of 10 to 80 kilometers, while the precise illumination range can be controlled within a few dozen meters.”
The idea for the project reportedly came from a French artist “who imagined hanging a necklace made of mirrors above the Earth which could reflect sunshine through the streets of Paris all year round.” Testing of the satellite started years ago, Wu said, although the technology will soon be ready for its launch in 2020. However, it is not clear whether the project has received the approval of either local government or Chinese Communist Party officials in Bejing.
Some local residents have reportedly expressed concern that the project could disturb the lives of various wildlife as well as those practicing astronomical observation. The People’s Daily sought to reassure readers by citing a Communist Party official who “explained that the light of the satellite is similar to a dusk-like glow, so it should not affect animals’ routines.
Breitbart