April 18, 2020, Brandenburg, Sieversdorf: Two Starlink satellites can be seen as a streak of light in the night sky (captured with an exposure time of 15 seconds). Patrick Belloul/Image Coalition via Getty Images A new study says that Elon Musk’s broadband satellite constellation is leaking radiation. Accidental emissions can affect the data radio astronomers can collect accurately. Experts who spoke to Insider say radio astronomy is helping us study dark matter and search for alien life.
A new research paper says SpaceX’s network of low-orbit satellites emit “unintentional electromagnetic radiation” that can negatively impact deep space studies.
A group of scientists from the Netherlands Institute of Radio Astronomy said they detected radiation in 47 of 68 satellites it observed for an hour, according to a study published in the journal. Astronomy and Astrophysics, a peer-reviewed journal.
The Starlink satellites – selected for their abundance in the sky compared to other low orbit satellites – were observed using the Low Frequency Array Telescope in the Netherlands. telescope is The world’s largest It consists of 40 radio antennas scattered across Europe with the ability to monitor the wavelengths of radiation from the most remote areas of space.
Using telescopes, scientists detected frequencies from the Starlink satellite from 110 to 188 megahertz – one unit Measurements used for electromagnetic waves. They note that this band “covers the protected bands between 150.05 and 153MHz.”
This shielded range, reserved for radio astronomers specifically for space studies, has scientists concerned that radiation could affect their observations.
SpaceX representatives did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Internal interference from the Starlink satellites can be likened to music jamming from a radio station, Fahey Beromian, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Southern California, told me.
Beromian describes it as having decided to “send a satellite over to Los Angeles so it broadcasts every five minutes at the rate of your favorite station”, which would operate on a specific frequency set by the FCC.
“And when you drive with the radio on, every five minutes you get half a minute of silence there,” says Beromian. Instead of interrupting the song, these Starlink satellites interrupt the faint radio waves generated by astronomical objects.
Scientists who spoke with Insider note that, most of the time, interfering frequencies are not uncommon for these problems – although they still exist – because most radio telescopes are built in remote areas. However, Starlink and other low-orbit satellites, which are sometimes known as “massive stars” according to research, can travel anywhere they choose, including through observing telescopes.
Federico Di Frono, a co-author of the study and co-director of the Center for the Protection of the Dark and Calm Sky from International Astronomical Union Satellite Constellation Interference, told Insider that there is concern that as more low-orbit satellites are sent into space, these emissions could be amplified, unintentional. , making the use of radio telescopes more difficult.
“For space, as far as we understand, there’s nothing to say this is the maximum level of unwanted emissions a satellite can have,” DeFrono told Insider.
Radio astronomy helps search for space’s greatest mysteries
Scientists and astronomers who spoke with Insider said working around electrical signals when operating sensitive radio telescopes is always a challenge.
Take for example, a Chinese man worth millions of dollars radio telescope This overcomes the challenge of nearby telescope-themed tourist towns, where astronomy enthusiasts use cell phones, WiFi and other technology that might block electromagnetic emissions from light years away. Another example is the fleet of now-defunct Iridium satellites from the 1990s, which were put into production Stay on the frequency used by radio astronomers To help scientists Learn how stars form and die.
Radio telescopes are very sensitive, said Beromian. “We built them in the middle of nowhere because cellphones and even microwave ovens can generate signals that would interfere with their observations.”
DeFrono told Insider that the overall impact of low orbit satellites like Starlink on radio astronomy is still unclear. He said the team hoped to include observations of celestial bodies in their next study and, for example, compare their observations with data collected before Starlink satellites began swarming the night sky to see if they had changed.
“We are not saying now that radio astronomy will be destroyed, that we will not be able to do astronomy anymore. We said it was important to recognize this early enough to have discussions with the operator with the astronomy regulator, to say, ‘Okay, This is something we need to discuss and move on.
However, all of the experts Insider spoke to said any significant loss or disturbance in radio astronomy would be a barrier for scientists studying the presence of dark matter, star formation, or It was reionisasi – the period that began 400 million years ago when the first stars and galaxies formed. There were also financial costs: millions of dollars were spent planning and building these massive radio telescopes over several decades.
Jean-Luc Margot, radio astronomer at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, is in the lead Research initiatives to identify technological signs Of extraterrestrial intelligence, he told Insider that radio astronomy interference could pose problems for him and other researchers looking for life in the universe,
“It would be a truly extraordinary event in the knowledge of the universe to know that we are not alone and there is a real possibility that radio frequency interference could prevent this discovery from happening,” Margo told Insider.
“Perhaps it is not low-level emissions that are studied in this paper, but other types of interference, such as desired emissions from certain satellites… Imagine that there is an advanced civilization somewhere in the Milky Way, that has a lighthouse to try out. to communicate with our civilization or any other civilization, he continued: “If interference occurs on this frequency … we may not be able to detect it and it would be tragic if we were not able to, to make this discovery. “
DeFrono told Insider that researchers are working with engineers from SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company that provides nearly 4,000 Starlink satellites, to discuss ways to reduce unwanted radiation in the future.
However, over the next few years, Musk hopes to send thousands of new satellites above Earth, and experts fear this could pose another problem for space monitoring by producing severe light pollution that could affect optical telescopes.
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2023-07-18 07:38:52
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