11–20 of 119 posts
Yeah, I kinda get why astronomers are not particularly happy with satellite constellations.
The situation is one order of magnitude worst in radio-astronomy.
It is fair to state that satellite constellations will certainly be the main obstacle to multiple major scientific discoveries in the next decade.
Yeah, I kinda get why astronomers are not particularly happy with satellite constellations.
And this is just the visible spectrum. The situation is one order of magnitude worst in radio-astronomy. It is fair to state that satellite constellations will certainly be the main obstacle to multiple major scientific discoveries in the next decade.
[0] https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438165
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Crater_Radio_Telescope
Earlier quoted context omitted.
And this is just the visible spectrum. The situation is one order of magnitude worst in radio-astronomy. It is fair to state that satellite constellations will certainly be the main obstacle to multiple major scientific discoveries in the next decade.
Opinion: We need to move our astronomical observation equipment off of Earth and onto other bodies, especially radio astronomy, which, unlike telescopes that operate in other wavelengths, is still affected by Earth's emissions in LEO/near-Earth space. We should put a radio telescope on the far side of the moon [0] to benefit from the thousands of kilometers of lunar material separating Earth's emissions from telescop…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
And this is just the visible spectrum. The situation is one order of magnitude worst in radio-astronomy. It is fair to state that satellite constellations will certainly be the main obstacle to multiple major scientific discoveries in the next decade.
Opinion: We need to move our astronomical observation equipment off of Earth and onto other bodies, especially radio astronomy, which, unlike telescopes that operate in other wavelengths, is still affected by Earth's emissions in LEO/near-Earth space. We should put a radio telescope on the far side of the moon [0] to benefit from the thousands of kilometers of lunar material separating Earth's emissions from telescop…
There are some classes of observatories, which you cannot build in space but which are still affected by satellites to some degree.
Is the camera exposure taking a few seconds of break between takes that get stacked later with some "missing" moments in between?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
And this is just the visible spectrum. The situation is one order of magnitude worst in radio-astronomy. It is fair to state that satellite constellations will certainly be the main obstacle to multiple major scientific discoveries in the next decade.
Opinion: We need to move our astronomical observation equipment off of Earth and onto other bodies, especially radio astronomy, which, unlike telescopes that operate in other wavelengths, is still affected by Earth's emissions in LEO/near-Earth space. We should put a radio telescope on the far side of the moon [0] to benefit from the thousands of kilometers of lunar material separating Earth's emissions from telescop…
However, it has serious disadvantages. It will exclude the poorer from astronomical research, except within the limits enabled by whatever cooperation the richer will be willing to do with them.
For the richer, that will make astronomical research much more expensive. When even USA, who claims to be the richest country, cuts a lot of the scientific funding, this makes likely a great reduction in the research targets that could be accomplished, even if a Lunar array of telescopes and radiotelescopes and communication relays for them were approved.
While professionals might still be able to do some work, the amateurs will be able less and less to enjoy the sight of the distant Universe.
There are already many years since I have become unable to see the sky that I enjoyed looking at when young, because it cannot be seen from the city where I live, due to light pollution (and high buildings). To see it again, I would have to go somewhere up in the mountains, far from a city or village, but I have not succeeded to do this recently. Even there now you can hardly look at the sky without seeing satellites, and it will only become much worse.
Nowadays there are many children who have never seen even once the sky that our ancestors were seeing every night, so many passages from old texts that mention the sky are unintelligible for them.
;)
Why are satellite trails not continuous lines Is the camera exposure taking a few seconds of break between takes that get stacked later with some "missing" moments in between?
Why are satellite trails not continuous lines Is the camera exposure taking a few seconds of break between takes that get stacked later with some "missing" moments in between?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Opinion: We need to move our astronomical observation equipment off of Earth and onto other bodies, especially radio astronomy, which, unlike telescopes that operate in other wavelengths, is still affected by Earth's emissions in LEO/near-Earth space. We should put a radio telescope on the far side of the moon [0] to benefit from the thousands of kilometers of lunar material separating Earth's emissions from telescop…
Our telescopes actually need the (or at least an) atmosphere to function. There are some classes of observatories, which you cannot build in space but which are still affected by satellites to some degree.
What about Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, JWST, etc? As of my understanding, the only reason we haven't built radio and and other long-wave telescopes in space is because of their impractical size preventing them from being deployed in orbit.
> There are some classes of observatories, which you cannot build in space but which are still affected by satellites to some degree.
Examples?