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I still think that's a test of how much we're willing to tolerate. Since there is no uproar (outside of niche communities like amateur astronomy) I imagine they

I still think that's a test of how much we're willing to tolerate. Since there is no uproar (outside of niche communities like amateur astronomy) I imagine they'll keep pushing the envelope. Don't be surprised when in a few years we'll have ads plastered across the sky (day and night) via drones or novel projection technologies; it's not like you're gonna see the stars beyond the Starlink junk field anyway...

macNchz 3y ago
Such a huge percentage of people these days live in urban sprawl with so much light pollution they can barely see any stars at all, so it makes sense there isn’t much backlash. Taking people who’ve spent their entire lives in populated areas into the backcountry and spending a couple of hours with them just staring up at the sky as their eyes adjust and the shapes and colors of the Milky Way appear is kind of a mystical experience.
porphyra 3y ago
FWIW, SpaceX has been actively working to make the Starlink satellites darker --- painting them black, adding a sun visor, working with the International Astronomical Union, etc --- so it is a bit disingenuous to suggest that they are "pushing the envelope" in the other direction. Naturally, I do wish that they were even darker and less obtrusive but oh well. [1] https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-satellites-night-sky-critics-2024-2 https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-sat...
- mikro2nd 3y ago
  Correction: they tried colouring satellites darker, but that caused heat radiation difficulties, so they've gone back to reflective satellites. Doesn't sound like they tried very hard. Plus the satellites have gotten larger (= still more reflectivity.)
  - porphyra 3y ago
    The new satellites are 18% as reflective as the original ones despite being bigger.
    - mikro2nd 3y ago
      Really? According to whom? I've been reading comments from astronomers that would indicate differently.

macNchz 3y ago

Such a huge percentage of people these days live in urban sprawl with so much light pollution they can barely see any stars at all, so it makes sense there isn’t much backlash. Taking people who’ve spent their entire lives in populated areas into the backcountry and spending a couple of hours with them just staring up at the sky as their eyes adjust and the shapes and colors of the Milky Way appear is kind of a mystical experience.

porphyra 3y ago

FWIW, SpaceX has been actively working to make the Starlink satellites darker --- painting them black, adding a sun visor, working with the International Astronomical Union, etc --- so it is a bit disingenuous to suggest that they are "pushing the envelope" in the other direction. Naturally, I do wish that they were even darker and less obtrusive but oh well. [1] https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-satellites-night-sky-critics-2024-2 https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-sat...

mikro2nd 3y ago
Correction: they tried colouring satellites darker, but that caused heat radiation difficulties, so they've gone back to reflective satellites. Doesn't sound like they tried very hard. Plus the satellites have gotten larger (= still more reflectivity.)
- porphyra 3y ago
  The new satellites are 18% as reflective as the original ones despite being bigger.
  - mikro2nd 3y ago
    Really? According to whom? I've been reading comments from astronomers that would indicate differently.