Moon to brighten up your night life?

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IANS London
Last Updated : Apr 21 2014 | 11:06 AM IST

What if moon emits enough light to make the night sky brighter so that you do not need to switch on power to illuminate roads and streets?

A Swedish cosmetics firm Foreo has a definite plan: to brighten the surface of the moon to achieve super night brightness!

The idea is to use materials already on the moon to lighten its surface.

"A brighter night sky would mean less need for streetlights, less electricity usage and fewer globe-warming carbon emissions," a press release from the company said.

"We want to raise public awareness about the project and generate consciousness about the global energy crisis," Paul Peros, CEO, Foreo, was quoted as saying.

Scientists are sceptical of the idea, though.

"Making the moon brighter is not something I have ever heard of in the geoengineering literature," Ben Kravitz, a postdoctoral researcher from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US, was quoted as saying.

According to scientists, one would need nearly 400,000 full moons in the sky to match the brightness of sun.

But according to Foreo, only about 0.1 percent of the moon's surface needs to be transformed to reach 80 percent of the desired brightening effect.

Foreo suggests the brightening effect would happen gradually over 30 years, allowing humans and animals time to adjust.

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First Published: Apr 21 2014 | 11:00 AM IST

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