近日，我国拟发射“人造月亮（artificial moon/man-made moon）”的消息一出便广受关注，外媒也不例外。
对此，BBC在报道时充满了质疑，把人造月亮译为“fake moon”，标题为“假月亮：中国真的可以点亮夜空吗？(Fake moon: Could China really light up the night sky?)”
A Chinese company has announced ambitious plans to put a "fake moon" into space to brighten the night sky.
据四川成都天府新区系统科学研究会的消息，成都市计划在2020/2022年发射“人造月亮”卫星。
According to the People's Daily state newspaper, officials at a private aerospace institute in Chengdu want to launch this "illumination satellite" in orbit by 2020, and say it will be bright enough to replace street lights.
这颗卫星将取代路灯成为成都市及周边地区主要的照明工具。
这一消息引人关注和质疑：
The straight-out-of-sci-fi news has sparked fascination, scepticism from scientists, lots of questions and outright mockery.
mockery
表示“嘲讽，嘲笑，嘲弄”，英文解释为“If someone mocks you, you can refer to their behaviour or attitude as mockery.”，举个：
Was there a glint of mockery in his eyes?
他的眼里是不是有一丝嘲讽？
短语：make a mockery of sth表示“使某事物显得无用[无效]，是对某事物的嘲讽”，英文解释为“to make something such as a plan or system seem completely useless or ineffective”，举个：
This building plan makes a mockery of the government’s environmental policy.
这个建筑规划是对政府环境政策的嘲讽。
What do we know about this project?
Not much - and the little information that is available is somewhat contradictory.
People's Daily first reported it last week, quoting comments made at an innovation conference by Wu Chunfeng, chairman of the neatly named Chengdu Aerospace Science Institute Microelectronics System Research Institute Co, Ltd. (成都航天科工微电子系统研究院有限公司)
Mr Wu said the idea had been in testing for a few years and the technology was now in place to make it happen, with a launch scheduled for 2020. The China Daily newspaper quoted Mr Wu as saying that three "huge mirrors" could be launched by 2022.
成都航天科工微电子系统研究院院长武春风表示，“人造月亮”的亮度将是真正月光的8倍，并且测试工作几年前已经开始，目前技术也达到成熟。
It's not clear from any of the reports whether this project has any official backing.
How might a 'fake moon' work?
The artificial moon would work as a mirror, reflecting sunlight back to Earth, according to China Daily.
“人造月亮”的表面有一层涂层，可以用来反射太阳光。
The reports gave no details about what the fake moon would look like, but Mr Wu said it would reflect sunlight across an area of between 10km and 80km with brightness "eight times" that of the real Moon.
But... why?
To save money. It might sound ridiculous but the Chengdu aerospace officials say putting a fake moon in space could actually end up being cheaper than paying for street lights.
China Daily quoted Mr Wu as saying illuminating an area of 50sq km could save up to 1.2bn yuan ($173m; £132m) a year in electricity charges.
以对成都50平方公里区域提供照射为例，每年可节约电费开支约12亿元。
It could also "illuminate blackout areas" after, say, a natural disaster like an earthquake.
blackout
表示“停电，断电”，英文解释为“a period of darkness caused by a failure of the electricity supply”，举个：
There was an electricity black-out in a large area in the north of the country.
该国北方有一大片地区都停电了。
What impact would this have on the environment?
Kang Weimin, director at the Harbin Institute of Technology, told the People's Daily that the light of the satellite would be similar to a "dusk-like glow" and "should not affect animals' routines".
哈尔滨工业大学航天学院光学所所长、教授康为民认为，人造月亮相当于黄昏的亮度，不足以颠倒生物作息。
But social media users in China have concerns. Some said it will surely confuse nocturnal animals, while others say that many cities in China already suffer from light pollution.
有人担忧这会影响地上夜行动物、造成光污染等。
nocturnal
/nɒk'tɜːnl,nɑkˋtɝnḷ/
表示“〔动物〕夜行的，夜间活动的”，英文解释为“an animal that is nocturnal is active at night”，举个：
Hamsters are nocturnal creatures.
仓鼠是夜行动物。
Is this a first?
No, a space mirror to create daylight at night has actually been tried before.
In 1993, Russian scientists released a 20m-wide reflector from a supply ship heading to the Mir Space Station, which was orbiting at between 200km and 420km.
1993年，俄罗斯科学家在和平号太空站(the Mir Space Station)上进行过一次代号为“旗帜2”号(Znamya 2)的“人造月亮”实验。
Znamya 2 briefly beameda spot of light about 5km in diameter to Earth. The light marched across Europe at 8km/hr, before the satellite burned up on re-entry.
beam
作动词，表示“发（光）；发（热）；发射”，英文解释为“to send out a line of light, heat, energy etc”，举个：
The sun beamed through the clouds.
阳光穿透了云层。
也可以表示“发送〔无线电或电视信号〕”英文解释：to send a radio or television signal through the air, especially to somewhere very distant;
beam还可以指“开怀大笑，眉开眼笑”，举个：
He looked at his sons and beamed proudly. 他看着儿子们，自豪地笑着。
Attempts to build a bigger model of Znamya failed in the late 1990s, leading the BBC's science editor at the time to say there was "not the slightest chance that the Earth will be girdled with space mirrors in the foreseeable future".
girdle
作动词表示“围绕，环绕”，英文解释为“to surround something”，举个：
... a garden girdled by oak trees
...橡树环绕的花园
- END -
相关词汇
人造月亮(man-made moon)
携带大型空间反射镜(carry a huge space mirror)
将太阳光反射到地球上(reflect the sun light to the Earth)
研发计划(research plans)
发射(launch) 入轨(orbit injection)
展开(unfolding) 照明(illumination)
调控(adjustment and control)
等分360度的轨道平面(divide the 360-degree orbital plane)
对同一地区24小时不间断照射(illuminate an area for 24 hours continuously)
预计其光照强度最大将是月光的8倍(the illumination intensity is expected to be up to eight times that of the moon light)
在民用领域用处格外大(be especially useful in civil areas)
可节约电费开支约12亿元(save about 1.2 billion yuan of electric charge)
空间能源应用(space energy application)
技术攻关(tackle key technical problems)
夜间活动(nighttime activities)