As SpaceX Launches Starlink, Scientists See Threat to ‘Astronomy Itself’

nytimes.com

25 points·vo2maxer··8 comments

This is crazy, so we are seriously adding 8 times the number of satellites without having a clear understanding of the impact this would be on things like... being able to see soon enough asteroids coming towards Earth?

I don't get it. Why are we going so fast? We don't have to.

We don’t have a solution for an asteroid coming toward earth anyway right now.

It’s not illegal so SpaceX will try and do it and then astronomers can try and adapt. If it turns out to really bad, SpaceX could be forced to deorbit the satellites I suppose, but that seems unlikely.

This is a classic case of American huckster capitalism. Don't ask permission, don't think about the big picture. Barrel ahead and try to corner the market. The goal is to gain profit at any expense.

Astronomers should have a base on the moon.

Could a tiny space telescope be added to each satellite, constantly sending telemetry down to earth via starlink? Maybe in concert that would be enough interferometric data to be a net gain for astronomy?

(I know nothing about it, just spitballing)

I thought earth's atmospheric distortion was already a big problem. Wouldn't astronomers want telescopes as far from ground as possible?

Nothing Elon Musk does threatens astronomy. Musk will accelerate innovation and development within the astronomy industry via reducing the cost per pound of placing satellites in orbit. It elevates the feasibility and affordability of space telescopes like the hubble, as well as future space missions and development.

So now Musk is up to no good too. I am very disappointed.

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