A first-of-its-kind study measured the extent to which bright constellations affect astronomers\u2019 view of the night sky, setting a proposed limit to how many satellites should be in Earth\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n
There are currently over 14,000 satellites orbiting Earth, but that number is set to increase dramatically over the next few years. Companies like SpaceX and Reflect Orbital are proposing launching a combined total of 1.7 million satellites, which would have devastating consequences for astronomy, according to the European Southern Observatory (ESO).<\/p>\n
By measuring the impact of large satellite constellations, researchers at ESO suggest limiting the total number of existing and future satellites to 100,00 that are faint enough not to be seen with the naked eye from a dark site.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a hard number, like 99\u00a0999 is good and 100\u00a0001 is bad: clearly I\u2019d prefer 50\u00a0000,\u201d Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer at ESO and lead author of the new study, said in an ESO statement<\/a>. \u201cBut 100\u00a0000 causes losses at about the level of other technical losses, such as equipment failure.\u201d<\/p>\n The findings are detailed in a paper<\/a> that will appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics.<\/p>\n The dwindling night skies <\/p>\n The number of satellites in Earth\u2019s orbit has nearly doubled in less than three years. Those bright satellites have already been a major nuisance for astronomers, often appearing as bright streaks in telescope images of the universe and tarnishing views of the night skies.<\/p>\n \u201cSatellites, illuminated by the Sun, are much brighter than distant galaxies,\u201d Hainaut explained. \u201cWhen a satellite crosses what we observe, it makes a bright streak on our image, zapping whatever is behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUntil now we have managed, but it\u2019s getting worse,\u201d he added, stressing that current satellite proposals are going beyond the limit of what astronomy can withstand.<\/p>\n Just last month, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk revealed the company\u2019s plans to launch up to a million satellites. \u201cSpace is really big, so it\u2019s not like space is going to get crowded,\u201d Musk said in a video<\/a> posted on X.<\/p>\n