A single large mirror in Earth’s orbit could brighten the night sky enough to make stars disappear across an area stretching dozens of kilometres, according to research involving scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Comenius University and Princeton University.
The researchers calculated that a planned 54-metre mirror could appear around 40 times brighter than the full moon. People directly within its beam could experience conditions similar to shortly after sunset, while increased sky brightness could be measured up to around 30 kilometres away.
The research comes as US company Reflect Orbital plans to test technology that reflects sunlight from orbit towards Earth. Scientists warn that large constellations of such mirrors could significantly increase light pollution and affect both astronomical observations and the natural night environment.
Source: TASR, STVR
