A PROTOTYPE satellite has officially become one of the brightest objects in the night sky, leaving stargazers and astronomers horrified.
The huge new satellite, BlueWalker 3, outshines nearly all stars visible in a dark sky, according to a recent study published in Nature.
BlueWalker 3 is AST SpaceMobile’s prototype, designed to bring satellite connectivity to around half of Earth's population.
The satellite, 693 square feet in size, is a predecessor to an even larger range of planned commercial satellites called BlueBirds.
It was launched September last year, and is essentially a giant mirror that continuously bounces sunlight toward Earth, and therefore, our eyes.
AST aims to create a constellation of around 90 similar satellites in the near future, a spokesperson told Space.com.
READ MORE ON SPACE
MOON HOME
Perfect human Moon base discovered with 'permanent sunlight' & 'plenty of water'
STARRY EYED
What are the red stars in the sky?
But a study this week revealed it could jeopardise the science of astronomy and radio astronomy.
BlueWalker 3 is more than 400 times brighter than what the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recommends.
The IAU, which led the study, was founded in 1919 to safeguard the science of astronomy.
The paper “shows us that there are no boundaries to satellite brightness”, Patrick Seitzer, an emeritus astronomer at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who was not involved in the study, told Nature.
Most read in Tech
ROYAL FAIL
Royal Mail customers unable to locate parcels amid huge online tracking outage
LOVE GAME
Free AI dating app asks for just one selfie to find your ‘perfect match’
HOT APPLE PIE
Apple admits iPhones ARE overheating – but blames three popular apps
WATCH OUT
Virgin Media is giving customers a free TV upgrade just in time for half term
“I’m concerned that we’re going to see a very large number of large satellites launched in the next decade, and it will change the appearance of the night sky forever.”
IAU researchers assessed the satellite’s shine in the night sky, using the magnitude scale, on which the brightest objects have the smallest numbers.
BlueWalker 3 has a magnitude of just +0.4, meaning if it were a star, it would be one of the ten brightest in the sky.
To put the figure into context, the North Star reaches a magnitude of +2.
That is roughly the magnitude limit visible from a city with the naked eye, according to the paper.
'Mess of the sky'
Stargazers and astronomers alike have complaints about the mega-satellite.
"This satellite was launched without much consideration of its impact on astronomy," Siegfried Eggl, co-author of the study and member of the IAU CPS, told Space.com.
"The IAU CPS seeks to change that and work on solutions together with the space industry."
One stargazer wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Astronomers and their bodies and committees need to really fight this.
"And all you high-profile TV astronomers who love telling us how beautiful the sky is? Stop hiding in your trenches, grow spines and come out and speak out against this!"
Another tweeted: "It remains way past time to stop letting corporations unilaterally make a mess of the sky."
In a statement to Nature, AST SpaceMobile said that it is currently working with NASA and astronomy groups to address these concerns.
A number of onlookers have welcomed the wider satellite connectivity satellites like BlueWalker 3 will bring.
"Looks like the BlueWalker 3 satellite is giving us some cosmic connectivity! But yeah, light pollution, not cool," another onlooker weighed in.
Read More on The Sun
SKUNK DOES A BUNK
Escaped pet skunk 'fully loaded' with stink spray, owner warns
PRECIOUS ITEM
My devastated daughter was ordered to take off dead dad's bracelet at school
A fourth wrote: "Benefits of satellites like this outweigh the drawbacks.
"It’s a very interesting study, one that completely neglects to reflect on the prosperity and access to information that would be found with inventions such as these in the sky."
Best Phone and Gadget tips and hacks
Looking for tips and hacks for your phone? Want to find those secret features within social media apps? We have you covered…
- How to delete your Instagram account
- What does pending mean on Snapchat?
- How to check if you've been blocked on WhatsApp
- How to drop a pin on Google Maps
- How can I change my Facebook password?
- How to go live on TikTok
- How to clear the cache on an iPhone
- What is NFT art?
- What is OnlyFans?
- What does Meta mean?
Get all the latest WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and other tech gadget stories here.
Source: Read Full Article