Tag: light pollution
-
A Million Satellites Could Create a Visible Ring Around Earth
Will Orbital Data Centers Create a Permanent Artificial Ring Around Earth? More than a million data center satellites and 50,000 space mirrors, if launched as currently proposed, would concentrate into a single orbital plane visible as a luminous band spanning the entire sky — brighter than any star or planet, and according to researchers, potentially…
-
Reflect Orbital Clears FCC for First Space Mirror Launch
Is Reflect Orbital’s Space Mirror Constellation Legal to Launch? California-based startup Reflect Orbital has received a license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch and operate its first demonstration satellite, Eärendil-1 — a spacecraft designed to unfurl a reflective surface measuring approximately 18 meters (60 feet) on a side. The license, announced July…
-
Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites add to astronomers’ light-pollution woes
Amazon is set to launch two satellite prototypes for its Project Kuiper network, which will eventually number more than 3,200 orbiters. Project Kuiper could become a rival to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which is now nearly 4,800 strong. Amazon’s launch is planned for 2 pm Eastern time today, with a backup launch window tomorrow. This rapid…
-
Most of us can’t see the Milky Way – this dark sky atlas shows you where you can
A Google Earth visualization shows the effect of light pollution on night-sky viewing in North America. Darker colors indicate lower light pollution, while warmer colors indicate higher levels. (Credit: Falchi et al., Science Advances; Jakob Grothe / NPS; Matthew Price / CU-Boulder) Eighty percent of Americans can’t see the Milky Way from where they live,…