There really is no idea too stupid for private equity out there...as long as there is a white dude pitching it they will throw money at it hand over fist.

This is the WORST idea...ever. Giant #SpaceMirrors redirecting sunlight and disrupting your sleep. #DarkSkies

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/startup-wants-to-launch-mirrors-up-into-space-to-light-up-the-dark-side-of-earth-259227717751

#DoublePlusUngood!!!

#FCC Deciding Whether to Allow Startup to Launch Huge #MirrorSatellite to Blast Sunlight on Cities at Nighttime

"The implications for #wildlife, for all life, are enormous."

By Frank Landymore
Published Mar 10, 2026

Excerpt: "The idea is as far-fetched as it is controversial. But something like it has been attempted before. In 1993, the Russian satellite Znamya, or 'Banner,' deployed a 65-foot-wide sheet of mylar that reflected a beam of light twice as bright as the Moon, illuminating a roughly three mile wide circle onto the Earth below like an orbital spotlight. It didn’t prove to be practical, however, with ground observers noticing no more than a flash of light, and it was exorbitantly expensive to pull off.

"Even so, it has the potential to massively disrupt the environment and interfere with many human operations. And the far-reaching consequences of such a technology is exposing the limits of the FCC’s remit.

"Experts fear that light from space mirrors could disrupt circadian rhythms in nature, posing a problem for flora and fauna alike. Animals might breed at the wrong time, and hibernating insects and migrating birds could be confused, Martha Hotz Vitaterna, a research professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University, told the NYT. And plants could bloom when pollinators aren’t active.

" 'The implications for wildlife, for all life, are enormous,' added Vitaterna, who is co-director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology."

Read more:
https://futurism.com/space/fcc-huge-mirror-satellite

#DarkSkies #LightPollution #BadIdea #USPol #Idiocracy #MirrorSatellites #CircadianRhythms

If anyone else is interested in the fate of dark skies, please consider submitting comment to the FCC about Reflect Orbital and SpaceX. There are two important deadlines coming up tmrw and the 9th.

Reflect Orbital is hands down one of the worst ideas I’ve seen, with almost comically ghoulish plans for satellite-mounted mirrors as “sunlight on demand.”

#darkskies

https://darksky.org/news/two-satellite-proposals-threaten-the-night-sky-the-window-to-act-is-now

RE: https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/116161149603554205

READ

❝ There are over 600 comments submitted on Reflect Orbital's filing ❞

AS

❝ There are over 600 comments submitted on Rectal Orbiting filing ❞

and you did too.

#dyslexia #fuckSpaceX #astroecology #FCC #darkskies

Can we have vibrant cities AND #DarkSkies? Lighting designer Vellachi Ganesan shares how precision optics and smart tech are revolutionary advancements for creating better outdoor spaces and protecting the night sky.

http://www.darkskyconsulting.com/blog/vellachi-ganesan-interview-mar2026

#Lighting #OutdoorLighting #LightingDesign

"'All you need is a chair and a view': could daily 'dusking' make us healthier and happier?

An old Dutch ritual of going outside to watch the coming of night – or dusking – is having a revival across Europe. Fans of the practice say it’s a great way to disconnect from screens and find peace"

by Rachel Dixon
Sun 1 Mar 2026 00.00 EST

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/mar/01/could-daily-dusking-make-us-healthier-and-happier

#schemeren #DarkSkies

From Empty Observatory to Fully Remote Telescopes

The observatory was built.

Power was run.
Internet was live.
The roof rolled back.

But inside? Nothing.

No telescopes. Just empty structures waiting to actually do what they were designed for.

So i brought in the gear.

This wasn’t my equipment. These were full remote imaging systems that will live their entire lives under dark skies, operated from hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres away.

Two telescopes.
Precision mounts.
Cameras.
Mini PCs.
Power distribution.
Networking.
Automation.

Everything installed from scratch.

Balanced, wired, configured, tested, and commissioned to run completely remote. Once i left, the only thing touching these systems would be photons.

From empty observatories to fully operational remote telescopes.

This is what it actually takes to turn a structure in the middle of nowhere into a working remote imaging system.

#Astrophotography #RemoteObservatory #Astronomy #Telescope #ObservatoryLife #DeepSkyImaging #NightSkyPhotography #SpaceTech #Engineering #Automation #Science #TechBuild #AstroLife #DarkSkies #YouTubeCreator

https://youtu.be/jRjrl8E5E6w

“‘Starstruck’ is set in the fictitious Idaho mountain town Sawtooth, where Malone’s character, a park ranger and amateur astronomer named Cyd DeBerg, is trying to establish a Dark Sky Reserve, where lights are banned at night to allow for stargazing. Idaho is home to America’s first designated Dark Sky Reserve, established in 2017, giving the musical real-world grounding.” (h/t @imherzen)

https://whyy.org/articles/starstruck-bucks-county-playhouse-emily-saliers-indigo-girls/

#DarkSkies