Prof. Sam LawlerMar 13, 2024

There are currently 5,591 Starlink satellites in orbit, launched in the last 5 years https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html

There are 5,595 known exoplanets https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/ discovered in the last 30 years

Starlink is about to have more sats in orbit than known exoplanets, and with each launch, make it harder to do astronomy research

Imagine what astronomy (or any part of science) could do with the shittons of money that have been spent on occupying (and likely soon destroying) low earth orbit?

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Show threadHelen GrahamMar 13, 2024
@sundogplanets I posted on a off grid site about non satalite internet options and I was really shocked how many people were very pro starlink and nobody at all had issues with the number of satalites or the impact on the night sky or likely issues when they all eventually end up fakling back to earth.And those are theoretically enviromentaly friendly ,ecologically aware people
Show threadProf. Sam LawlerMar 13, 2024

@Helengraham Most people have NO IDEA about all the problems. That's why I keep yelling about it!

(I'm also a rural internet user, so I totally understand why people are jumping on it. Rural internet sucks everywhere and Starlink is the fastest option for a lot of people... but I think more people would think twice if they had any idea how bad the pollution/space junk/light pollution issues are)

Show threadDitolMar 15, 2024
@sundogplanets @Helengraham If the internet access market in rural areas is big ebough to support satellite megaconstellations, how comes there is no proper over land service? It somehow doesn't seem to add up.
Show threadHelen GrahamMar 15, 2024
@ditol @sundogplanets .Its not really, the far north of Scotland is less densly populated than parts of the artic and sahara desert .Which means internet costs a fortune normally .Theres a lot of isolated houses and settlements most roads here are single track ,but a lot are narrow.So the road would need closing,cutting people off ,or at least meaning a very long detour that might be hours.The main roads have cables but houses are often a way from them,or too far from a" box "0r lines are taken
Show threadDitolMar 15, 2024
@Helengraham @sundogplanets If it is not feasible to lay cables for internet connection there, I assume that those houses have no other infrastructure either, like paved roads, electricity, running water etc. What a failed state... But in that case, what do they need internet access for if they can't power their computers? ;)
Still, if there are enough people in such conditions to sustain a satellite megaconstellation, it seems to be quite a considerable market. Why is nobody else exploiting it?
Show threadHelen GrahamMar 15, 2024
@ditol @sundogplanets .Its not essential to have mains power or water , they use wells and have assorted means oif generating off grid power ,villages have pavements but why would anyone else need them ? The flow country is the UKs last wilderness and internationally important as Europes largest and the worlds most diverse area of blanket bog..Scotland is not a failed state it ,its one of the world leaders in renewable energy ,has the best social care and cleanest rivers and air in the uk
Show threadDitol
@Helengraham @sundogplanets but do those remote villages and hamlets have landline telefone connection? If so, they could have VDSL broadband internet. This is standard across Germany (another nearly-failed-state, but only nearly :) ) and was crippling fiber infrastructure for decades because nobody really needed it.
Mar 15, 2024 at 3:32pmWeb