Artificial satellites have the potential to interfere with sky observations, why?

KOMPAS. com – As technology advances, more and more artificial satellites the human launched a space. And this can be a potential problem observation of the sky at a later time.

An example is the satellite that was launched recently. The prototype BlueWalker 3 satellite was launched to be the start of an in-orbit communications network accessible from a standard smartphone.

However, now the satellite is one of the brightest objects in the night sky.

Read also: Definition and functions of artificial satellites

For experts and sky watchers, this is a big deal. Reasons other than usage telescope outer space, many observations of the universe are made from the earth’s surface.

To collect scientific alarm, Thursday (1/12/2022) Astronomical Union Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU CPS) said satellites are a problem because the brightness of stars can now be defeated by the glare from satellites.

“This is not what astronomers want. BlueWalker 3 will appear as a super bright line in the image and potentially saturate the observatory’s camera detectors,” said Meredith Rawls, an astronomer at the University of Washington in Seattle.

BlueWalker 3’s light source comes from its 64 square meter antenna array, which reflects more light than any other satellite.

The intention of parent company AST SpaceMobile, which launched BlueWalker 3, to place more than 100 satellites in the sky by the end of 2024 is obviously a significant concern for scientists.

There are other concerns as well. Blue Walker 3 was built as a cell phone tower in space, which means it uses terrestrial radio frequencies that could interfere with radio telescopes, telescopes currently built out of reach of cell phones.

“The frequencies assigned to mobile phones are already difficult to observe, even in the radio silence zones we have created for our facility,” said Philip Diamond, director general of the Square Kilometer Array Observatory in the UK.

Read also: Many send satellites into space, this is the danger according to experts

“New satellites like BlueWalker 3 have the potential to exacerbate this situation and jeopardize our ability to do science if not properly mitigated,” he said.

Meanwhile, an AST SpaceMobile spokesperson said it plans to use the latest technology and strategies to mitigate any impacts that could disrupt astronomical observations.

“We are actively working with industry experts on the latest innovations, including the next generation of anti-reflection materials,” he said.

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