this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2025
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Controversial startup's plan to 'sell sunlight' using giant mirrors in space would be 'catastrophic' and 'horrifying,' astronomers warn (www.livescience.com)
submitted 3 days ago by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world
181 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

https://archive.ph/3WZrp

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.

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[–] _lilith@lemmy.world 55 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Joking aside this is a horrible idea even if it were possible to get right. Anything with circadian rhythm is going to get fucked up real fast and that includes people. This is like angry mob outside the corporate office level bad. Torches and pitchforks, the whole thing

[–] BlushedPotatoPlayers@sopuli.xyz 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Except torches, they won't be needing those

[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago

Well, those are for the fire. You know, can't burn someone alive at the stake if you have no fire.

[–] Alfredolin@sopuli.xyz 6 points 3 days ago

⇒⇓⇑⇒⇓

[–] Credibly_Human@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As mentioned in a different comment, this isn’t the problem.

These aren’t planned to block out the sun everywhere. They’re planned to light up specific small regions.

There are real problems like the potential for mishaps blinding pilots (hopefully only temporarily), ruining earth based astronomy, adding to space waste, and more, but the fear of blocking out the sun would only be a real one if they had an amount of mirror coverage its hard to imagine.

[–] _lilith@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

ah you may have missed my meaning there. I was concerned about sunlight going somewhere in the middle of the night. Things need it to be dark. Since both the article and other commenters had already addressed the issues to people I thought I would bring up that its an environmental disaster as well

[–] Credibly_Human@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I dont think I misunderstood, I think you're thinking that this would make places dark where they shouldnt be or light up a whole country or something, but thats not how it could work

[–] _lilith@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

neither actually. I don't think this is ringworld, light pollution from lighting up a single building at night with sunlight would play holy hell with the ecosystem. Along with all the other problems

even the proposed three mile patches of sunlight mentioned in the article would be incredibly impactful and in fact the article does briefly mention the environmental impact:

"Past research on light pollution has also shown that it can alter the behavior of a wide array of animals and plant species, as well as disrupt human sleep cycles."