Prof. Sam LawlerSep 18, 2024

Oh look, Starlink is continuing to screw up the sky in every way possible.

"Second-Generation Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations"

https://www.astron.nl/starlink-satellites/

It's going to be "hilarious" when Starlink messes up the radio sky so badly that radio astronomers can't even use quasars to calibrate GPS anymore. There are so many consequences from all these stupid, cheaply built, disposable satellites. https://www.universetoday.com/105160/navigating-the-cosmos-by-quasar/

Second-Generation Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations | ASTRON

Observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations.

ASTRON
Show threadOlsonSep 18, 2024
@sundogplanets I am naive about spacecraft. Do these satellites have a way to be brought safely back to earth, or are they stuck in space until they break apart and fall to earth?
Show threadCySep 18, 2024
They're stuck in orbit until they break up and fall to the earth. I think they can deliberately be dropped unsafely back to earth, while they're still functioning. @[email protected] has a great story about how parts of their booster rockets have been landing in farms and stuff. (They're supposed to burn up in reentry.)
Show threadOlsonSep 29, 2024
@cy @sundogplanets Such as the farm in Saskatchewan which received a gift of space junk.
Show threadCy
Yes, @[email protected] is the one who's been telling that story. She's an astronomy (professor, I think?) in Saskatchewan, who raises the cutest goats!
Sep 30, 2024 at 2:49amWeb