Samantha Lawler, an astronomer, walked out of her farmhouse in Edenwold, 30 kilometres northeast from Regina, with her feet clenching on the snow and the sound of chickens and ducks erupting from her barn.
It was before sunrise, so it was early morning. The stars were still visible in the sky.
She looked up at her short walk and saw the slow movement between the stars. Then another. Then another. She stopped counting.
Lawler knew very well what satellites were, and that they were fake-stars.
“I wasn’t even looking at the sky. She explained that she was just looking between buildings and had seen a dozen in a matter of minutes. It’s terrible. It’s quite noticeable.”
It’s only going to get worse.
Astronomers all over the world are concerned by the proposal of a few companies, principallySpaceX, that flood low-Earth orbits with tens or thousands of these satellites. This could be a threat to the safety of the entire planet. There is also the possibility of satellites colliding with each other, increasing the danger. There are thousands of pieces space junk already in orbit.
Astronomers believe that all of this is a threat against the preservation and enjoyment of the night sky.
Therefore, the upcoming Feb. 3rd holiday will be marked by theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU), annouced the creation of the Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky against Satellite Constellation Interference. Their goal is simple: to collaborate with industry leaders and amateur astronomers, Indigenous groups, and scientists around world to protect the night sky’s sacredness.
There has been little to none disagreement so far between industry leaders and astronomers.
“The experience we have had in interfacing with industry is that it’s been exceedingly cooperative in trying to deal with individual objects and how light they scatter,” said Richard L. Green from the University of Arizona, who is part of an executive committee working group on protecting the skies.
However, this could change.
“There’s always a caveat because [industry]Connie Walker, co-director and astronomer with National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory of (NOIRLab), said that they can only do so much.
“They’re there for a profit. But I believe we have their ear, especially at the moment. I believe there is genuine good will in trying to do the best they can. But there are limits.
Some astronomers believe society needs to take preventive action and make low-Earth orbit and our skies part of our natural environment.
Deeper concerns about the environment
Human history has been driven by the night sky. The stars helped us to navigate, to decide when to plant, as well as to keep time. We tracked the planets, and we noted when a new star (a supernova explosion), appeared in the heavens.
The Milky Way is a phenomenon that most people only see in photos or on TV. A 2018 study showed that the Milky Way was hidden from approximately one-third of humanity, 80 percent of North Americans included..
Lawler also has to deal with another issue, one that doesn’t concern the night sky.
Starlink satellites that provide broadband internet access to rural areas have a life expectancy in the range of 6.5 years. It will take approximately five years, and then they will be deorbited and combust in Earth’s atmosphere.
Lawler, who authored a federal assessment on constellations, said, “If you do a calculation, they want to substitute 42,000 satellites every 5 years.” “That means they’ll de-orbit 23 times per day. They are about the same size as a car when you look at their mass. Six tonnes, mostly aluminum, will be added daily to the upper atmosphere.
Why is this important?
The use of It has been suggested that the planet could be cooled by introducing alumina particles to the upper atmosphere.However, the larger implications are not yet fully understood.
Lawler stated, “Low Earth orbit is not legally considered to be an environment.” “So nobody’s looking.”
There’s another way to look at this: how these satellites impact cultures that have relied on the stars through history.
Lawler stated that you could even go so far as to say, “Well, you know, Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Actiontalkabout the fact that if a private firm is going to take resources from Indigenous people, they must be consulted and given permission to be compensated.” Does this count? A private company making a profit from the destruction of a resource they’ve had for thousands of years?
Some efforts being made
Satellites play a vital role in our day to day lives. From global positioning systems that help us navigate to weather satellites to Earth-monitoring and satellites that monitor our environment, satellites are crucial.
According to the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office as of Jan. 5, there were There are roughly 7,840 satellites currently orbiting the earth, and approximately 5,100 are still operational..
However, in the 65-years since Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union, many satellites have now been placed in the hands commercial industry with very little regulation.
SpaceX is the leader in this effort. SpaceX has so far been able toLaunched approximately 2,000 Starlink satellitesIt aims to provide internet access to all parts of the world, including remote areas. Plans to Launch upwards of 42,000.
There are other players, including Jeff Bezos. Amazon/Project Kuiper, Europe’s OneWebCanada’s Own Telesat.
Future satellite simulations from Canada/Europe at summer solstice|Future satellite simulations from Canada/Europe at the summer solstice.Yellow points are the brightest satellites, blue are the faintest:
There are websites such as SatelliteMap.SpaceYou can track SpaceX satellites and OneWeb satellites online. ESRIhas designed a beta websiteThis allows viewers to see the amount and location of satellites and debris in space.
There are also dedicated apps like Mega ConstellationsHanno Rein, a Canadian Astronomer, invented the. (The ESA calculated that there are currently more that one million pieces of debris measuring between 1-10 cm and that could pose a danger for satellites and astronauts.
Astronomers and industry leaders were both surprised by the brightness of the Starlinks’ first batch when they were launched in 2019. (SpaceX first launched them to approximately 200 km in altitude, then deployed them to around 500 km.
The company responded quickly to astronomers’ complaints. They tried to reduce their reflectivity by using paint, then with a shield. Although this did help, it didn’t solve the problem.
Alan Dyer, amateur Astronomer, captures Starlink satellites of southern Alberta in 2019| Amateur astronomer Alan Dyer captures Starlink satellites from southern Alberta in 2019:
OneWeb, which originally sought to launch nearly 48,000 users, has since been renamed.Its proposal was reduced to roughly 6,400 satellites.
Astronomers believe it’s all a move towards the right direction.
“I think we bought some money because Starlink did agree with a higher price.” [orbit]OneWeb and Jonathan McDowell significantly reduced the total number their satellites,” Jonathan McDowell, an Astrophysics Center astronomer at Harvard University, said. He also participated in the IAU’s working groups.
“So that, according to me, will keep the astronomy effect in the next few year to super-annoying, instead of fatal.”
Lawler does not necessarily share this optimism.
“There are many engineering issues that I think there are.”[industry]Could rise to thechallenge [of]They’re not seeing them, they’re seeing the minimum to make most money,” she stated. “And that’s all they’re focusing on. This could lead to us losing the ability to safely use orbit, as well as destroying the sky & the atmosphere.
SpaceX declined to respond to an interview request. Telesat was unavailable to speak with CBC News at the time of publication.
Science as a strain
Public funds are not enough to reduce the brightness or altitude of astronomy, which is most of what is funded by public funds.
Astronomers are often taking long exposure photographs of the sky, sometimes of the whole sky, when they collect data. Large telescopes are able to pick up satellites at higher elevations. These images show them as long streaks.
McDowell, who is currently working to develop algorithms to help astronomers deal these satellites in photos, said that it’s not as easy as using software to eliminate streaks.
Starlinks crossover the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in 2020:| Starlinks crossover the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in 2020:
“People will tell me, “Oh, no big deal.” It’s easy to use Photoshop to remove the streak. McDowell stated. McDowell said, “No, we’re trying not to measure stars brightness to, like, one percent.” That doesn’t work.
Then there is the potential impact on radioastronomy.
Canada has Square Kilometer Array Observatory, $290 Million (SKAO) was investedSouth Africa will soon have 197 radioastronomy dishes, which will make it the largest radioastronomy dish in all of Africa. It is a radio-quiet area where cell phones are not allowed.
However, satellite constellations could threaten the observatory which will open at end of decade. A recent analysis by SKAO suggests they Could lose a significant amount sensitivity to some molecules, which could impact their research.
The new IAU center is still in its infancy but has big goals. It has held Many working groups have been formed to address the issue., is developing industry standardsandisworking with the United Nations’ Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
McDowell stated, “It’s about addressing this problem now, before its too late.”
“As is always the case when it comes to environmental problems, nothing happens until it gets really bad,” he stated. “And then people say, ‘Oh, I suppose that we should do something.’