---
title: "An Artificial Meteor Show May Light The 2020 Tokyo Olympics"
description: "A Japanese research company has developed a way to artificially recreate a meteor shower using satellites placed in orbit and \"source pellets,\" making for an amazing (and amazingly expensive) light show."
date: "2016-05-23"
modified: "2016-05-23"
authors:
  - name: "Jelor Gallego"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jelor-gallego"
url: "https://futurism.com/an-artificial-meteor-show-may-light-the-2020-tokyo-olympics"
categories:
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "Japan"
  - "meteor shower"
  - "satellite"
  - "shooting stars"
---

# An Artificial Meteor Show May Light The 2020 Tokyo Olympics

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/A-55.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: ALE Co.\</em\>*

A different kind of light show will likely be brightening the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: [An artificial meteor shower](<http://www.sciencealert.com/this-japanese-company-wants-to-rain-down-artificial-shooting-stars-over-the-tokyo-olympics?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20sciencealert-latestnews%20(ScienceAlert-Latest)&utm_content=FeedBurner>). At least, that is what Japanese research company ALE Co. (aka Star-ALE) is proposing.

It has developed a 'Sky Canvas,' an artificially created [shooting star spectacle](<https://futurism.com/meteor-showers-shooting-stars-comets-and-asteroids>). With this, the company claims that we would be able to see hundreds of tiny coloured fireballs raining down over the host city...which sounds a little dangerous, to be honest. [According to industrial design site Core 77](<http://www.core77.com/posts/53142/Fireworks-of-the-Future-Startup-Looks-to-Launch-Manmade-Meteor-Shower-for-Tokyo-Olympics-Opening-Ceremony?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+core77%2Fblog+%28Core77.com%29>), the next-level pyrotechnics is expected to be viewable from up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) away from the city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHvyz3h-rRo

[To do this](<http://global.star-ale.com/project/mechanism>), ALE CO. will "artificially recreate" the process of natural shooting stars by sending up a satellite into orbit carrying a payload of between 500 to 1,000 specialized pellets called "source particles."

Then, like a baseball pitching machine, the satellite will begin spitting out the source particles to put on a show.

However, the price tag isn't cheap. Each combustible pellet comes in at about USD $8,100 to produce, and that's not including the costs involved in actually launching the Sky Canvas satellite. In total? It will cost more than $8.1-million.