Because astronomical telescopes are very sensitive to light, in order to facilitate observation, observatories are often built on mountains away from light pollution. However, with the increase in the number of satellites in low-Earth orbit, astronomical observations will also have a huge impact. According to foreign media reports, a study published in the “Astrophysical Journal Letters” by astronomers at the Palomar Observatory in the United States pointed out that with the increasing number of StarLink satellites, astronomical observations are being seriously affected.
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The study analyzed observations collected by the Zwicky Transient Detector (ZTF) at the Palomar Observatory between November 2019 and September 2021,5,301 satellite streaks attributable to Starlink satellites were found in the observational images.
ZTF observation image
As the number of Starlink satellites on Musk’s SpaceX continues to grow, so does the number of images observed by the Zwicky Transient Probe that are affected, the researchers said.In particular, images taken during twilight, affected images have gone from 5% in late 2019 to 18% in August 2021.
And now Musk has launched about 1,800 satellites to provide Internet services to 24 countries around the world. By 2027, the number of Starlink satellites will increase to 10,000.At that time, every observation image from the Zwicky Transient Probe will have satellite streaks.
In addition, the researchers also pointed out that although Musk has lowered the brightness of the Starlink satellites by five times to 6.8 stars in 2020, in order to meet the needs of astronomical observations, it is recommended to adjust the brightness to 7 stars or darker. . The impact on astronomical observations later.
It is worth mentioning that in July 2020, when an astronomer was observing Comet NEOWISE, the image was filled with satellite stripes due to Musk’s Starlink satellite. According to NASA, this astronomical spectacle will not be seen again for the next 6,800 years.
