Astronomy or Megaconstellations: New Study Shows We Can't Have Both
A new study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics lays out evidence that massive planned increases in the number of satellites in orbit could be catastrophic for astronomy. On the one hand, astronomers have been sounding this alarm for some time—but this time, the countdown to potential disaster is shockingly short.
Right now, according to the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) accounting, there are about 15,000 satellites in orbit. The agency estimates that currently proposed programs would increase this number to 1.7 million—more than 113 times the current total.
To be clear, that increase is on top of many of the programs over which ExtremeTech has spilled gallons of digital ink, programs that already motivated 120 astronomers to urge the FCC to revisit restrictions, and which could be so bright that they block the views of even orbital telescopes.
The problem isn't just visible light, either. As seenwith...
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