2020 Olympics Artificial Meteor Shower, Japan Initiates Efforts

A meteor shower is set to be showcased in the opening of 2020 Olympics which will be held in Japan. But this is not because of a prediction of a meteor shower taking place naturally during the opening ceremony but because the country's researchers have recently initiated the creation of an artificial meteor shower.

The Sky Canvas as what the researchers would call it is Japan's way of mixing entertainment and atmospheric study. Star-ALE, Sky Canvass developers hopes that this project will support Japan's future projects specifically astronomical.

"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," said Lena Okajima, Star-ALE's chief executive officer and founder, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

Forbes reported that Star-ALE plans to have the Sky Canvas to be happening as a normal meteor shower would. A satellite will be surrounded by hundreds of shooting star ingredients or source particles. A spacecraft would launch them from outside the earth. Once they reached the height of around 40 to miles, then the highlight of the show takes place; the source particles will begin to burn creating a view visible within a 100 kilometer radius.

The components of the source particles will be designed to travel slower in the sky to give everyone enough time to enjoy the show. The artificial meteor shower may also coordinate with the 2020 Olympics color should Star-ALE chooses to. They can use different substances to come up with different colors. Strontium can be used to produce red, copper for green, lithium for pink and cesium for blue.

Aviation and safety will be observed before, during and after the shower so as to avoid possible colliding with any object in space. The microsatellites will also be designed to automatically burn-up after use. This is in observance to the international space regulations and to assure that there will be no fragments left on the scene, as per Capital Wired.

Take a quick journey to the 2020 Olympics meteor shower through this video.