Astronomers are considering banning large clusters of low-flying satellites around the Earth’s atmosphere to reduce light pollution and preserve the ability of stargazers to study the night sky.

An example of a large cluster is none other than Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network.

In a series of analyzes and opinion pieces published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists note that the night sky is getting brighter. In fact, the panel of experts is calling on the scientific community to mobilize, as has been done for the dangers of smoking and the actions of oil companies, so that regulations can be put in place.

The researchers are calling for, among other things, a complete ban on large “swarms” of satellites.

“Weighing the immediate or long-term benefits and harms to society, despite popularity large clusters of satellites, the possibility of banning them should not be ruled out. On the contrary, we believe that the consequences and risks are too great to rule it out,” write Fabio Falci from the Institute of Science and Technology on light pollution in Italy and his co-authors in a related commentary.

“Whenever there is a health or environmental issue that starts to be addressed in the scientific literature, the pollutants set off a “doubt machine” to stop or at least delay by years or decades the adoption of countermeasures and rules to protect the person. health and environment”.

Among the sources of light pollution mentioned are LED lamps on the Earth’s surface. The group calls for action.

“In my opinion, there should be an upper limit to the total number of satellites in low orbits, and their number is probably already too highFalchi said the team writes that upper limits should also be placed on the intensity of artificial lighting at night.

According to experts, with large clusters, the number of active satellites in low Earth orbit has more than doubled since the beginning of 2019, and a very large number of launches are planned for the coming years.

No historical precedent

But experts say the practice comes at a cost: The glow of artificial satellites and space debris from the Sun has increased the brightness of the night sky. “We are witnessing a dramatic, profound and possibly semi-permanent transformation of the night sky, unprecedented in history. and with limited control,” writes John Barentine of Dark Sky Consulting and colleagues.

According to the authors, one of the problems is that weak signals of astrophysical origin will be increasingly difficult to detect due to the increase in the brightness of the night sky.

“An example of clear and potentially serious consequences is the difficulty in detecting near-Earth celestial objects that are at high risk of impact with our planet,” they write. At the same time, the team notes that an increase in “photonoise” could harm the efficiency of research facilities, since it will take more time to collect and compare data, which means that the financial burden will be greater.

Satellite trails in sky images are another issue, while there are also concerns about the impact of increased night sky brightness on biological systems.

In addition, the impact on the average earthling must be considered, which will make it difficult to see the Milky Way, familiar constellations, faint auroras, and faint meteors. Scientists believe the stakes are too high and action needs to be taken. “For the general public, there is a risk of losing the natural look of a perfect, natural, starry sky everywhere on Earth,” warns Falci.

Source: Guardian