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https://theconversation.com/bluewalker-3-an-enormous-and-bright-communications-satellite-is-genuinely-alarming-astronomers-195642>
"The night sky is a shared wilderness. On a dark night, away from the city
lights, you can see the stars in the same way as your ancestors did centuries
ago. You can see the Milky Way and the constellations associated with stories
of mythical hunters, sisters and journeys.
But like any wilderness, the night sky can be polluted. Since Sputnik 1 in
1957, thousands of satellites and pieces of space junk have been launched into
orbit.
For now, satellites crossing the night sky are largely a curiosity. But with
the advent of satellite constellations – containing hundreds or thousands of
satellites – this could change.
The recent launch of BlueWalker 3, a prototype for a satellite constellation,
raises the prospect of bright satellites contaminating our night skies. At 64
square metres, it’s the largest commercial communications satellite in low
Earth orbit – and very bright."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
