Imagine time-traveling 50 years into the past and telling the world that it would eventually be saved by clouds of lunar dust shot from cannons. Well, it turns out that this idea isn’t a plot-point of science fiction anymore — it’s real. In recent months, researchers have proposed using the moon’s dust to shield the Earth from sunlight and hopefully mitigate global warming. So, how would this actually work?
The University of Utah and the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian led a study to examine the potential of using dust to shade the Earth using a technique that demonstrates planet formation around stars. Through planet formation, astronomical dust is pumped up, forming rings that can intercept the light from their central star.