Space Junk Falls to Earth Faster when Sunspots Peak, Reshaping Satellite Collision Forecasts
Researchers tracked 17 debris objects over 36 years and found stronger solar activity increases drag, speeding their return toward Earth.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Space junk falls to Earth faster when sunspots peak, reshaping satellite collision forecasts
Solar emissions exert 'drag' on space junk orbiting Earth. From historical measurements across a period of 36 years, researchers have now shown that space junk begins to fall down much faster once the sun's activity across the solar cycle reaches approximately 67% of its peak. This result, which is expected to hold for station-keeping satellites too, is important for better planning of space missions that avoid collisions.
Recent scientific research has confirmed that the intensity of solar processes directly influences the rate at which space debris is cleared from near-Earth space. During periods of high solar activity, the Earth's atmosphere expands and becomes denser in its upper layers. This leads to increased aerodynamic drag, causing objects in low orbits to lose altitude more rapidly and deorbit more quickly. The post "Solar Activity Accelerates the Descen…
In times of particularly strong solar activity, discarded satellites have sunk faster in the past decades.
High solar activity can bring space debris out of the sky in orbit around the Earth. As solar cycles reach their peak – signalled by the number of sunspots appearing on the sun's surface – satellites and other objects in low Earth orbit lose altitude faster, [...]
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