A new NASA study shows, that light pollution from satellites in low orbit can spoil the to 40% pictures, which the Hubble Space Telescope will make in the following 10 years. For other orbital telescopes, this indicator can generally increase to 96%.
The reason is a sharp jump in the number of devices in orbit. If in 2019 year around the Earth was approx 5 thousands of satellites, now there are more of them 15 800. According to the current launch plans, their number may reach 560 thousands over the next 10 years.
According to the authors of the satellite research “tracks” - bright stripes, passing through the frame do not just spoil the image. They can hide small changes in the brightness of objects, which astronomers need to detect exoplanets or track dangerous asteroids. In 2018–2021, such traces were on 4,3% archival Hubble images. With the increase in the number of devices, according to forecasts, the telescope will capture an average of more than two satellites per image. Chinese Space Station Telescope Xuntian, which starts next year, will fix to 92 satellites into a picture through a much wider field of view.
Powerful telescopes in distant orbits, particularly James Webb, currently shielded from other satellites. However, most tools, that work closer to the Earth, are already facing data quality degradation. NASA calls for coordination between satellite group operators and the scientific community. Among the possible solutions is the reduction of the reflective capacity of the devices, optimization of orbits and regulation of placement of megaconstellations. But the time to act is limited: the denser the space traffic will be, the more difficult it will be to avoid highlights in pictures.
Source: https://mezha.ua