In California's Night Sky, 'Blinding' Daylight

Residents near California's Sierra Nevada recently looked up at night and saw ... daylight. The glaring beams, described by one local as "blinding," were a ground test earlier this month by Reflect Orbital, a US startup that wants to launch 50,000 satellites equipped with giant mirrors to bounce sunlight onto Earth after dark, reports the Guardian. The FCC has signed off on a demo satellite for 2027 that could shine light as bright as the noon sun in 3-mile-wide bands, which the company pitches as useful for search-and-rescue efforts, farming, street lighting, and the military. The test on Oct. 10 was in partnership with China Lake Mountain Rescue, which SFGate notes practiced maneuvers both under cover of darkness and in artificial broad daylight.

Environmental groups and astronomers are urging the FCC to reverse course, warning of risks to wildlife, human sleep cycles, astronomy, and the night sky itself. "This is an idiotic project," says Jan Hasselman, an Earthjustice attorney. "Literally all of life on Earth evolved based on the rhythm of day and night and there is a ton of data showing that messing with this is not a good idea."