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Satellites may obscure our views of the stars

Satellites - Level 4

Astronomers fear our view of the stars will be obscured. Their warning is because of thousands of satellites going into orbit in 2020. These will provide high-speed Internet worldwide. Space will be so littered with satellites they will compete with stars for our attention. They will form "mega-constellations" that could affect radio astronomy and the quality of telescope images. The satellites will appear as dazzling white light that could be mistaken for stars.

Experts say over 46,000 satellites will go into space in the next few years. An astrophysicist called this a "tragedy". It is five times more than those launched since Sputnik 1, six decades ago. The satellites will provide much faster Internet speeds and greater connectivity to the remotest areas of the world. About 14 million Americans live in rural areas with zero Internet coverage. SpaceX will launch 120 satellites in January and a further 12,000 in the next decade.

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Satellites - Level 5

Astronomers are worried that our view of the sky is becoming more obscured. Their warning is because of thousands of satellites being launched into orbit in 2020. These will provide high-speed Internet across the world from space. The scientists say space will be so littered with satellites they will compete with the stars for our attention. The satellites will form "mega-constellations" that could get in the way of radio astronomy and affect the quality of images from telescopes. The astronomers said the satellites will appear as dazzling white streaks of light. These could be mistaken for stars.

Experts say there are plans to launch over 46,000 satellites into space in the next few years. This is five times more than the number of objects in space since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, six decades ago. The new satellites will provide much faster Internet speeds and greater connectivity to even the remotest areas of the world. Today, about 14 million Americans live in rural areas with zero Internet coverage. SpaceX will launch 120 satellites in January and a further 12,000 in the next decade. Astrophysicist Dr Dave Clements called the initiative a "tragedy".

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Satellites - Level 6

Astronomers are concerned that our views of the heavens are becoming more and more obscured. Their warning comes ahead of a whole series of satellite launches by a variety of companies. Thousands of satellites are being launched into orbit throughout 2020 to make high-speed Internet more readily available across the world from space. The scientists say the skies will be so littered with arrays of satellites they will compete for our attention with the stars. They say the satellites will link up to form "mega-constellations" that could interfere with radio astronomy and the quality of images from optical telescopes. The astronomers said the satellites will appear as dazzling white streaks of light that could be mistaken for stars.

Technology analysts say there are plans to launch as many as 46,000 satellites into space over the next few years. This is five times more than the number of objects sent into space since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, over six decades ago. Satellites from companies like SpaceX and Amazon will provide much faster Internet speeds to even the remotest areas of the world. They will provide global connectivity across the globe. Even today, about 14 million people in the USA live in rural areas with zero Internet coverage. SpaceX will launch 120 satellites in January and has plans to send a further 12,000 into orbit in the next decade. Astrophysicist Dr Dave Clements called the initiative a "tragedy".

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