Japanese are truly creative when it comes to technology, and this time, as the country will be the next host of the anticipated world sports event, a company in Japan is planning to make a man-made meteor shower that will be featured in the 2020 Olympics.
According to Argyll Free Press, as Japan is preparing for the 2020 Olympics, Star-Ale, a Japanese company, is also preparing to create its artificial meteor shower for a grand pyrotechnic surprise in the said event. The project will be called Sky Canvas and will feature a spectacular light display, which is also a different kind of show.
Star-Ale creators said that the artificial phenomenon will be seen from afar, which is over 120 miles away. The company also added that while the Olympic games will be held 4 years from now, it said that it will begin conducting tests in 2017. Star-Ale will use a string of small satellites, which will carry the unique pyrotechnics.
The artificial meteor showers will be displayed during the opening ceremonies of the 2020 Olympic games. The Christian Science Monitor reported that Star-Ale hopes that the man-made meteor shower project will support the coming astronomical projects in the country. Lena Okajima, the Star-Ale CEO and founder, said it will be the kind of project that is new in the astronomy and commercial industry.
"This type of project is new in the sense in that it mixes astronomy and the entertainment business," Okajima said. "These shooting stars that are born through science function as a high-profit entertainment business, and the resulting funds will serve to further advance fundamental scientific research," the Star-Ale CEO added.
The project Sky Canvas will be using satellites containing numerous "source particles." The said source particles will be the component of the artificial meteor shower and will be released from a spacecraft. Once it goes through the Earth's atmosphere, it will ignite and glow at an altitude of about 40 to 50 miles. The special pellet is also worth, $18,100 while the satellite is also costly.
