A controlled, translucent cloud of micron-scale particles positioned along the Sun→Earth line near L1. Instead of a rigid shade, we maintain a gentle, flowing veil that slightly reduces incoming sunlight—precisely and reversibly—before it reaches Earth.

Holding particles perfectly still at L1 is hard and expensive. A continuous “fountain” works with physics: streams of particles naturally pass through the target zone while weak electromagnetic (EM) fields nudge their paths to shape the cloud.

Primary: continuous ballistic injections (from lunar or in-space sources) provide bulk material.
Secondary: modest EM guidance “steers” particle trajectories and dispersion.
Result: a self-refreshing, tunable cloud with far fewer station-keeping demands.

We modulate three dials—feed rate, grain size/charge, and EM steering—to adjust optical depth and footprint. Throttle to zero and the cloud dissipates on its own, giving strong safety and reversibility.

Inert, space-safe dusts (e.g., processed lunar regolith fractions, silicates, or other dielectrics) are preferred. Using in-situ resources minimizes launch mass from Earth and enables long-term, low-cost upkeep.

The cloud is placed off Earth orbit lanes and designed to shed or sunward-drift when not replenished. Grain sizes and charges are chosen to avoid persistent debris hazards and to minimize any risk to satellites.

A dedicated sensor network (heliophysics monitors, Earth-observing radiometers, and on-site probes) measures optical depth and cloud geometry in real time. Adaptive control keeps shading within agreed limits.

Start small: a narrow, meter-scale column expanding to ~1 km cross-section along the line of sight, long enough to validate targeting, optical depth, and the guidance loop—before any scale-up.

Lower structural complexity, inherent redundancy (constant refresh), graceful fail-safe (turn it off and it disperses), and fine-grain control of when/where/how much shading occurs.

International oversight, transparent telemetry, and pre-set “guardrails” for maximum dimming. Immediate priorities: high-fidelity dust-plasma simulations, materials/charging tests, and an in-space tech demo on the Sun–Earth line.