Study warns of “devastating consequences for astronomy” of Elon Musk’s ‘data center satellites’

A study released today warns of the “devastating consequences for astronomy” posed by placing more than 1.7 million new satellites into Earth’s orbit – including “extremely bright” ones planned by companies, like Elon Musk’s Space X.

The study, conducted by an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is the first to calculate the extent of the impact of large, bright satellite constellations on astronomical observations, as they make the night sky brighter, hindering observation with telescopes of distant galaxies, Earth-like extrasolar planets, and/ or potentially hazardous asteroids.

The ESO, an astronomical organisation of which Portugal is a member, adds that light pollution generated by constellations of very bright satellites can cause “an impact on the health and functioning of life on Earth, by disrupting biological clocks and ecosystems.”

According to the observatory, large satellite constellations also have “direct impacts on air quality”, due to the numerous launches required to send and maintain them in orbit, and the pollution caused by their burning when they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at the end of their lifespan.

Right now, there are more than 14,000 active satellites in Earth’s orbit. The number of satellites in orbit rises to 32,000 if inactive satellites, or what remains of them, are included.

But, according to the study, released today and authored by Belgian astronomer Olivier Hainaut, the Space X company owned by magnate Elon Musk intends to launch one million new satellites, to serve data centers in space. These will “significantly alter the appearance of the night sky”, at the very least.

According to Hainaut’s calculations, hundreds of these satellites, and sometimes thousands, will be visible in the night sky, in numbers similar to the stars that are visible to the naked eye under good observing conditions.

Another American company cited in the study, Reflect Orbital, wants to launch 50,000 satellites by 2035.

The satellites, whose prototype the company intends to put into orbit this year after obtaining the necessary regulatory approval, reflect sunlight back to Earth at night, with their light beams reaching at least five kilometers above the planet’s surface.

Hainaut estimates that the entire constellation of satellites – the brightest ever to orbit Earth – will cause the night sky to be filled with hundreds of very bright satellites visible to the naked eye.

Viewed from the reflected light beam, each satellite will be four times brighter than the full Moon, and even if none of the satellites point their light beam directly at a telescope, each will be as bright as Venus.

The study, to be published in the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, highlights that in a city with light pollution like Munich, Germany, hundreds of these satellites will be the only “stars” visible in the night sky.

In general, the night sky will be three to four times brighter with all 50,000 satellites of Reflect Orbital in use.

“Satellites illuminated by the Sun are much brighter than distant galaxies. When a satellite passes through what we observe, it makes a bright streak in our image, altering what is behind it,” emphasizes Olivier Hainaut, quoted in the ESO press release.

To estimate the impact of this and other effects of the satellite constellation on astronomical observations, Hainaut simulated the positions, movement, and brightness of current and future satellite constellations, based on observations made with the ESO’s VLT and Vera C. Rubin telescopes, both in Chile.

According to the astronomer, no more than 100,000 dim satellites, below naked-eye visibility, should orbit the Earth “to guarantee observation of the night sky with modern telescopes”, and, presumably to not cause “impact on the health and functioning of life on Earth”.

Will anyone take Hainaut’s study, and its warnings, on board? Or will the world simply wave on the likes of Elon Musk until the impact of their ‘brilliant genius’ is suddenly unavoidable?

Source material: LUSA