Cell Tower in Space Troubles Astronomers
c0lo writes:
The International Astronomical Union Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference expresses concern about the recently launched prototype BlueWalker 3 satellite's impact on astronomy. New measurements reveal that this low Earth orbiting satellite is now one of the brightest objects in the night sky, outshining all but the brightest stars. In addition, the satellite's use of terrestrial radio frequencies poses a new challenge to radio astronomy.
On 10 September 2022 AST SpaceMobile (https://ast-science.com/) launched a prototype satellite called BlueWalker 3 into low Earth orbit. This satellite, which has a 64-square-meter (693-square-foot) antenna system (the largest commercial antenna system ever deployed into low Earth orbit), is the first of what is expected to be more than a hundred similar or even larger satellites.
New measurements by observers worldwide, coordinated by the International Astronomical Union's CPS (http://cps.iau.org) (IAU Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference), show that this satellite has become one of the brightest objects in the night sky - more so than other constellation satellites and at times as bright as some of the most recognizable stars [1].
Besides their visible brightness, these new satellites, which serve as "cell phone towers in space," will transmit strong radio waves at frequencies currently reserved for terrestrial cell-phone communications. These orbiting transmitters, which are not subject to the same radio quiet zone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_quiet_zone restrictions) [2] as ground-based cellular networks, have the potential to severely impact radio astronomy research as well as geodesy studies and space-physics experiments.
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