How Starlink Satellites Are ‘Blinding’ Astronomers

Source- This post on How Starlink Satellites Are ‘Blinding’ Astronomers is based on the article “How Starlink satellites are ‘blinding’ astronomers” published in Indian Express on 21st September 2024.

Why in News?

A recent study found that astronomer’s work is being impeded by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites.

How Starlink Satellites Are ‘Blinding’ Astronomers

1. Electromagnetic Radiation Interference: Starlink satellites emit unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR), which disrupts radio telescopes designed to detect radio waves from celestial objects.

2. Radio Astronomy Challenges: Radio telescopes are being “blinded” by the radio noise from Starlink satellites, similar to how bright light blinds human vision, saturating the radio telescopes’ detectors.

3. Impact of Satellites in View: The presence of a satellite in a telescope’s field of view can obscure faint signals, making it difficult to observe weaker celestial objects.

4. Increased Brightness of New Satellites: Second-generation Starlink satellites emit UEMR at levels 32 times brighter than first-generation satellites, worsening the interference problem.

5. Growing Number of Satellites: With the increasing number of satellites (potentially up to 100,000 by 2030), the interference for radio astronomers is expected to intensify.

6. Need for Regulations: Experts call for regulations on satellite operators to minimize UEMR, similar to how there are rules for ground-based electronic sources like cellphone towers.

Read more: Starlink project

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