What is the Sky Canvas Project?

March 31, 2023

A Tokyo-based space company, ALE, recently announced that it will create the world's first artificial meteor shower in 2025 under the project Sky Canvas.

About Sky Canvas Project:

  • It is the world’s first artificial meteor shower project.
  • The aim of the project will be to collect atmospheric data in the mesosphere.
  • Under this project, meteor-replicating particles will be installed in a satellite 250 miles (400 km) up and then released over a designated area.
  • These metallic particles will be spheres with a diameter of 0.4 inches (1 cm) and a mass of a few grams.
  • The pea-sized balls have a secret chemical formula that causes them to light up from the friction of re-entry at speeds of up to five miles (8km) a second. 
  • ALE says they will travel more slowly and light up for longer than natural shooting stars - up to ten seconds each.
  • They will be visible over a 125-mile (200 km) area. 
  • The ingredients in the pellets can be altered to change the colour, which means that a multi-coloured flotilla of shooting stars could be created. 

What is Mesosphere?

  • The mesosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere.
  • It is directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere.
  • It extends from about 50 to 85 km (31 to 53 miles) above our planet.
  • The transition between the mesosphere and the thermosphere is called 
  • Temperature decreases with height throughout the mesosphere
  • The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer.