Artificial meteor showers a possibility in 2019

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While people around the world are waiting to observe the rare meteor shower, a Japanese company is working on producing “shooting stars born on the Earth” and delivering them to the sky in 2019.

What causes a meteor shower? A natural meteor shower happens when dust particles of several millimeters in size enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn while emitting bright light called plasma emission.

The Tokyo-based startup ALE is trying to reproduce the process artificially. First, a satellite that carries particles will be sent into space. Once it has settled into its orbit, the particles will be released and travel about one-third of the way around the Earth before burning as a shooting star upon atmospheric re-entry.

The shooting star particles are metal balls about one centimeter in diameter, which will burn up completely at about 60 to 80 kilometers above the Earth.

How does a meteor shower occur? /Photo via ALE

The artificial meteor shower can be observed in an area around 200 kilometers in diameter on the ground, said the company.

Besides adding romantic effects to the sky, an artificial meteor shower is also helpful for better understanding the mechanics of naturally occurring shooting stars and meteorites, ALE said.

According to the company, ALE satellites will be placed into orbits that won't clash with existed satellites. Since the shooting star particles will burn out much higher than the maximum flight altitude of planes, they won’t influence aircrafts, or cause pollution.

The first showcase will be delivered over the sky of the Setouchi region including the cities of Hiroshima, Iwakuni, Takamatsu, and Matsuyama, the company said in the press release.