A proliferation of space junk is blocking our view of the cosmos, research shows
A Starlink satellite leaves a streak of light across this image taken Nov. 2, 2020, by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. (NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute)
The increased sky glow makes it harder for scientists to peer into the farthest reaches of the galaxy, slowing down the pace of astronomical observation.
Excerpt from The Washington Post. By Christopher Ingraham
April 27, 2021 at 6:09 a.m. CDT
The rapidly growing cloud of satellites and space junk orbiting the Earth is beginning to block our view of the universe around us, according to new research.
Each individual object in orbit, from the tiniest bits of space garbage to the largest man-made satellites, reflects a commensurate amount of sunlight back toward the Earth. Multiplied by the tens of millions, the collective amounts to a 10 percent increase in illumination across the night sky. That increased sky glow is washing out our view of the cosmos, making it harder for scientists to peer into the farthest reaches of our galaxy and the universe beyond.
If the astronomers’ calculations are correct, it means we’ve surpassed a sky brightness threshold for unimpeded astronomical observation set decades ago by the International Astronomical Union, an association of professional astronomers who, among other things, assign names to newly discovered celestial bodies.