China to Launch Artificial Moon Into Orbit to Light Up City: Chinese officials say they plan to launch a satellite into orbit by 2020 that will act as an artificial moon - one that will be able to directly reflect light from the sun onto the streets of Chengdu, China at night, a city of nearly 14 million people.
Wow, this is just a fantastic news - especially for those who feel we just don’t have enough light pollution here on Earth. I mean, just think of it - a gigantic headlight, shining down from outer space - directly into our bedroom windows at night. What could be more comforting than that? Now is it just me, or does this sound like it’s gonna be one hell on an expensive light bulb?
Of course afterwards, I suppose they’ll need to send up something to block the sun during day, just to try and counteract all the negative effects caused by reflecting all that sunlight down to earth during the night when it’s supposed to be dark. Hell, perhaps now - we can all work 24-hours a day.
And at the risk of sounding cynical, this is precisely why I’ve always been opposed to governments hiring Bond villains as research scientists. That said, and in all fairness - not everyone is opposed to 24 hours of constant daylight. I mean, people up in the Arctic Circle seem to enjoy it. All I can say is, it’s a damn good thing Vincent van Gogh finished his Starry Night long before anyone came up with this bright idea.
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