China to launch artificial moon in 2020

The southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu is planning to launch an illumination satellite, or "artificial moon," in 2020, according to Wu Chunfeng, president of the Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Institute of Microelectronics.People's Daily Onlinereport

The lighting satellite is designed to complement the moon at night. Wu said the artificial moon will be eight times brighter than the real moon and bright enough to replace street lights. The satellite will illuminate an area with a diameter of 10 to 80 kilometers, and the precise lighting area can be controlled within a few dozen meters.

The idea for an "artificial moon" originated with a French artist's proposal to hang a string of mirrors above the Earth to reflect sunlight onto the streets of Paris all year round. Testing of the satellite began two years ago and the technology is now complete.

Some experts have expressed concern that the light reflected from space could have a negative impact on the daily activities of many animals and astronomical observations. Kang Weimin, director of the Institute of Optics at the Harbin Institute of Technology, explained that the light from the satellite is similar to twilight and therefore does not affect the activities of animals.