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profdant139
Explorer II
Feb 07, 2020

New satellites are messing up our night sky

To me, dark skies are one of the main benefits of boondocking in remote territory -- it's a lot of work to get there, but the stars are astonishing.

So this article is depressing -- apparently, Elon Musk's new sat network is unusually reflective:

Article

I can probably edit out the "sat trails" from my star photos, but I am not happy.

39 Replies

  • How does one determine a star from a satellite if the satellite in is stationary orbit?
  • I am all in favor of cheaper faster internet access, which these sats will provide. But couldn't they have painted them with flat black spray paint??
  • According to this article, they are planning to launch 42,000 of them in the next decade. Its going to get pretty busy up there. As a matter of fact, they will launch one for you personally if you pony up a cool million.
    https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21043229/spacex-starlink-satellite-mega-constellation-concerns-astronomy-space-traffic
  • the article states that once these satellites reach optimal orbit they are barely visible
  • There are probably a ton more satellites you don't see but I'm on the other end of this spectrum. I enjoy seeing the International Space Station fly over, or tracking aircraft near me with my ADS-B receiver then going out at night to see if I can find them in the sky. But then again, I live in a large metro area and I'm used to see man made things in the sky constantly.
  • Those of us that appreciate a beautiful night sky without all of the light pollution should be upset by all of the **** that is being sent into space. If you have never actually seen an unobstructed view of the night sky, you should go to central Idaho and see it for yourself.
  • Astromers are apoplectic, and that includes the radio observatories

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