Southwestern China's city of Chengdu plans to launch its illumination satellite, also known as the "artificial moon", in 2020.

 

成都计划于2020年发射照明卫星，也称“人造月亮”。

 

Wu made the remarks at a national mass innovation and entrepreneurship activity held in Chengdu on Oct. 10.

 

The illumination satellite is designed to complement¹ the moon at night. 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 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 of the "artificial moon" 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.

 

The testing of the illumination satellite started years ago, and now the technology has finally matured, explained Wu.

 

Some people expressed concern that the lights reflected from space could have adverse² effects on the daily routine of certain animals and astronomical³ observation.

 

Kang Weimin, director of the Institute of Optics, School of Aerospace⁴, Harbin Institute of Technology, explained that the light of the satellite is similar to a dusk-like glow, so it should not affect animals' routines.

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