Proposed new satellite fleets could overwhelm the night sky
- A new European Southern Observatory study warns that proposed satellite constellations from SpaceX and California-startup Reflect Orbital could pose an unprecedented threat to ground-based astronomy, potentially rendering telescopes unusable.
- SpaceX has requested Federal Communications Commission approval for 1 million orbital data centers, while Reflect Orbital seeks to launch 50,000 sunlight-reflecting satellites to beam artificial daylight onto Earth.
- Researchers found these fleets could brighten the night sky by as much as 300% and create destructive trails in telescope images, leaving observatories to peer through a haze of scattered light.
- ESO suggests a limit of 100,000 satellites to prevent data corruption, with lead author Olivier Hainaut stating we risk reaching conditions where "there is no point in operating the telescopes anymore."
- Currently, some 14,000 satellites orbit Earth, but astronomers urge the FCC to reject the proposals; ESO Institutional Affairs Officer Betty Kioko noted the agency has yet to rule on either filing.
30 Articles
30 Articles
A New Space Race Could Turn the Night Sky Into a Permanent Light Show
A new study by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) warns that current plans to deploy more than 1.7 million satellites in Earth's orbit could cause serious damage to ground-based astronomy. To preserve the capabilities of modern telescopes, the total number of spacecraft in low Earth orbit should remain below 100,000, provided the satellites maintain low visibility. Since 2019, the number of satellites in orbit has grown rapidly and now exce…
Astronomers warn against negative effects on star observation in view of the growing number of satellites. ESO therefore proposes to limit their number to a maximum of 100,000.
The analysis of the European Southern Observatory: 'the future of astronomy threatens'
A study by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) estimated that 100 000 satellites should not be exceeded in order to preserve our ability to observe the sky. A relative figure compared to the more than 1.7 million spacecraft that should be put into orbitMega-constellation projects would have "destroying consequences for astronomy", warns the Southern European Observatory in a study, which estimates that 100 000 of these devices should not be …
About 14,000 satellites orbit around the Earth in 2026. There could be more than 1.7 million satellites in the future, according to the European Southern Observatory in a study published on Wednesday.
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