Aliens will go undetected if we don't cut down on space junk, say experts
Compared to 2019, the number of satellites have risen by four times with the current estimate being that over 8,000 machines are orbiting the Earth.
By the end of this decade, the night sky will be swarming with satellites and covering up stars, making it difficult for astronomers to spot alien life and other discoveries, according to a report on The Independent.
Compared to 2019, the number of satellites have risen by four times with the current estimate being that over 8,000 machines are orbiting the Earth. With the boom in the commercial space sector, this number is set to grow at an alarming pace.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing to launch 44,000 satellites for its Starlink internet constellation, while a staggering 400,000 have been approved in total for low Earth orbit. Part of the problem is that satellites reflect sunlight back to Earth, which has been troubling astronomers. The bright beams of light emerging from satellites obstruct the optical field of telescopes, while internet satellites are said to interrupt sensitive radio telescopes.
According to Tony Tyson, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, the sky would wear a “macabre” look in 2030 with hundreds of thousands of satellites floating around and with very few stars visible, The Independent quoted in a statement.
Last week, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the UK Space Agency and the Department for Business organised a Dark and Quiet Skies conference to raise concerns and ask for more regulation.
Quoting Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the RAS, The Independent stated that it will become increasingly hard to monitor “signals from other civilizations”, let alone detect the origin of life in a clogged sky. It is a direct attack on the natural landscape if satellites comprise about 10 percent of night sky stars.
The Vera Rubin telescope, located in the $473 million Vera C. Rubin observatory in north-central Chile, is already reeling from the effects of the overpopulated sky and satellites. Poised to begin a 10-year survey next year to find minor changes in the movements of 37 billion stars and galaxies, preliminary tests have found that at least 40 percent of frames are impacted during twilight hours.
Astronomers have also warned about the sheer magnitude of deorbiting satellites. Ken MacLeod, an independent expert on non-functional satellites, has found that nearly 16,000 decaying internet satellites will need to come out of orbit at any one point when all the internet constellations are in operation. This will lead to fireballs from the re-entry of space debris, with Kate estimating at least 60 falling daily. The abundance of satellites will have severe consequences on astronomy and change the night sky forever, according to experts.
