Technology

76655 readers

2703 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related news or articles.
Be excellent to each other!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

L3s@lemmy.world

enu@lemmy.world

technopagan@lemmy.world

L4s@lemmy.world

L3s@hackingne.ws

L4s@hackingne.ws

738

Controversial startup's plan to 'sell sunlight' using giant mirrors in space would be 'catastrophic' and 'horrifying,' astronomers warn (www.livescience.com)

submitted 1 day ago by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world

144 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.

(page 3) 46 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 2 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

007 did it.

I'm trying to remember the name of the film.

load more comments (2 replies)

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

I remember the mickey mouse series where scroge did just that, or was it donald. That was from way before year 2000 BTW.

So what's next, solar roadways?

[–] YaDownWitCPP@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

[–] enthusiasm_headquarters@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

Whatever happened to the 12 Jasons? They used to stop things like this. I imagine they were disbanded by the regime.

[–] spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works 1 points 21 hours ago

Reflect Orbit 2.0 Hacker Edition:

Move corporate HQ to Russia, place mirrors in orbit to block sunlight, then charge big $$$ to unblocked it. Profit.

[–] CovfefeKills@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

This is not just simple bullshit this is part of a greater Solar Radiation Modification effort and is highly likely to actually become a thing because we are going to block the sun we aren't going to stop using oil.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 1 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

If we could actually do this, couldn’t we also send up large Sun ray blockers that would help us control global warming?

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

This reminds me of the venetian shade idea. 'Trillions of dollars' hahaha okay let's see who wants to pitch in.

load more comments