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SpaceX Starlink Satellites May Be Ruining Astrophotography
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites are becoming an increasingly worse problem for ground-based astronomical observations. This is especially true when it comes to SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, which have become a frequent problem for ground-based astrophotography by “photobombing” observations, leaving streaks across images as they whiz past in the sky.
Researchers from Caltech’s Palomar Observatory recently published a study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters outlining the effects of Starlink satellites in astrophotography observations. They cataloged over 5,000 bright streaks that were attributed to these SpaceX satellites. The most concerning change in observations was those taken during twilight.
Astronomers have warned for years that Starlink satellites would have a negative impact on ground-based astronomic observations and have criticized Elon Musk for not consulting with the astronomy community before going ahead with the satellites. Space debris is becoming an increasingly large issue in astronomy, and will only become worse as more satellites are launched.
Findings of the Caltech study
The Caltech study looked at the impact of Starlink satellites on observations at the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). They found that in late 2019, 0.5% of…
