California-based startup Reflect Orbital aims to build a swarm of 4,000 giant mirrors in low Earth orbit to “sell sunlight” to customers at night. Experts warn that the mirrors could mess with telescopes, blind stargazers and impact the environment.
Reflect Orbital, which was founded in 2021, has recently taken the first step in a scheme to sell sunlight at night by bouncing solar rays off giant “reflectors” that can redirect the vital resource almost anywhere on our planet. By doing this, the company aims to extend daylight hours in specific locations, thus allowing paying customers to generate solar power, grow crops and replace urban lighting.
But experts say it is a wildly impractical plan that should never get off the ground. What’s more, the resulting light pollution could devastate ground-based astronomy, distract aircraft pilots and even blind stargazers.
It’s the opposite of that plot. In that episode, Mr Burns blocks out the sun in order to force everyone to use more electricity to increase revenue for his nuclear power plant.
If the mirrors are reflecting light into a dark part of earth, they are taking it away from a place that’s experiencing daylight.
How? I would think the reflector would have to be near tangential to the area it lit up
Oh shit you’re right. I’m more lucid that I was when I wrote that and see how dumb it sounds.
Do they think the sun only shines on earth?
Don’t worry, they will only block light from poorer countries with a mostly non white population. very safe and nothing to worry about!