Astronomy
Op-ed | South Africa’s Space Journey Charts a Course for the Continent
Today, South Africa is an evident center of gravity in the African space community. It hosts some of the world’s most sophisticated ground-based space infrastructure, its space supply chain is strong, and its public sector institutions are oriented toward growing the space industry and national capabilities. Ultimately, however, the heart of South Africa’s space story is not where it has been but where it is going—and the outcomes will shape space activity across the continent.
Far side: the moon’s use as a new astronomical site
Astronomers have always sought out remote and isolated spots from which their precision observations of the surrounding universe can be made. Now, add one more far-flung location – the moon.
Astronomers back technical efforts to reduce impacts of satellite megaconstellations while seeking regulatory solutions
With slow progress on regulation and policy, astronomers are making progress on other approaches to mitigate the effects that satellite megaconstellations will have on their observations.
Radio telescope faces “extremely concerning” threat from satellite constellations
A multibillion-dollar radio telescope is moving into its construction phase while still working to raise funding and deal with satellite megaconstellations whose interference “change the game” for their plans.
Foust Forward | The sky isn’t falling (yet)
When SpaceX launched the first set of 60 Starlink satellites, the unexpected appearance of the satellites in twilight skies as a bright string of pearls dismayed astronomers. With SpaceX planning to launch potentially tens of thousands of such satellites, astronomers had visions — or, more accurately, nightmares — of a ruined night sky.
Tyvak and Lawrence Livermore National Lab release Earth and space images
Tyvak released the first high-resolution images of objects in orbit and on the ground captured by telescopes the satellite manufacturer developed with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
Rubin Observatory turns to Google Cloud for data hosting
Google announced a three-year agreement Dec. 7 with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (formerly known as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) under construction in Chile to host data on the Google Cloud Platform.
Report outlines measures to reduce impact of satellite constellations on astronomy
A new report offers ways both astronomers and satellite developers can reduce the effect megaconstellations have on ground-based astronomy, but warned that no combination of measures can entirely eliminate the problem,
OneWeb’s revival worries astronomers
A potential return to operations of satellite megaconstellation company OneWeb is a new source of worry for astronomers who previously had been focused on the effect SpaceX’s Starlink satellites will have on their observations.
Astronomers warn about effects of other satellite megaconstellations
Astronomers who have spent the last year worried about the effect that SpaceX’s Starlink satellites will have on their observations say they are increasingly concerned about the impact from other proposed megaconstellations.
SpaceX to add sunshades to all future Starlink satellites
SpaceX has decided to add sunshades to future Starlink satellites to reduce their impact on astronomy, having opted for constellation-wide implementation of the reflective hardware.
Senators ask GAO to review FCC oversight of satellite constellations
Two senators have asked the GAO to review the FCC’s decision to exempt satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink from an environmental review, given those satellites’ effect on the night sky.
SpaceX claims some success in darkening Starlink satellites
SpaceX says it will take more steps to reduce the impact of its Starlink satellite constellation on astronomy, although astronomers disagree with statements by Elon Musk that the system will have “zero” effect on their work.
Starlink vs. the astronomers
Since the first Starlink satellites launched in May, astronomers have complained that those satellites, and potentially other systems to be launched in the next few years, could make it far more difficult for astronomers to conduct observations using ground-based telescopes.
SpaceX, astronomers working to address brightness of Starlink satellites
SpaceX says it’s committed to working with the astronomy community to address the brightness of its Starlink satellites, but some astronomers remain concerned about the deleterious effect that system and other megaconstellations will have on their field.
Radio astronomers worried about OneWeb interference
Radio astronomers say OneWeb has not, until recently, paid attention to their concerns about interference, but that it is not too late to avoid a spectrum conflict.
Little legal recourse for astronomers concerned about Starlink
Despite complaints by individual astronomers and astronomical organizations, legal experts say there is little they can do under existing federal law and regulations to halt the deployment of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
Space Act Agreement to support private space telescope project
NASA has signed a Space Act Agreement with a private organization currently raising funds for studies of a space telescope designed to look for habitable planets around a nearby star.
China completes world’s largest radio telescope
Tuesday's briefing begins with China declaring construction of the world's largest radio telescope complete.
JAXA abandons efforts to recover Hitomi satellite
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced April 28 that it was giving up on efforts to restore control of its Hitomi astronomy satellite, concluding that the spacecraft was too severely damaged in an incident last month.
