Turning Night Into Day

      Have you ever stood out in your backyard or a park after dark and look up at the stars? Have you ever been in a really dark location and stared in wonder at the beauty of our Milky Way galaxy as its hazy band stretches across the sky? If one company has its way that may not be something you can do for much longer.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted permission for a company called Reflect Orbital to put a giant space mirror, called Earendil-1 in orbit. The company’s plan is to use the giant mirror to reflect sunlight down to Earth for “extra solar energy and area-wide lighting” at night. Their ultimate goal is to place 50,000 of these in Earth orbit by 2035. They claim the nighttime lighting could be used for agriculture, emergency response, and other industrial sectors.

Artists conception of sunlight-refelcting space mirror. Credit Reflect Orbital

But what they don’t talk about are all the negative effects critics claim will result from this activity. Such intense lighting at night is harmful for human health, ecosystems, aviation and astronomy. The light could disrupt circadian rhythms of plants, animals and humans. The satellites will need to repointed every four minutes. As it redirects the light, it could temporarily blind pilots and drivers on the ground, possibly causing car wrecks and plane crashes which would endanger people.

When asked why the FCC would allow such a project with potentially fatal consequences, it responded “the risks of harm raised on the record regarding Reflect Orbital’s solar reflector are unrelated to the Commission’s role in authorizing use of radiofrequency spectrum.” Basically, the FCC said they don’t consider dangers to humans, ecosystems, or the safety of airplanes or drivers when making their decisions.

 A NASA Space News article describes many of the problems with artificial light at night (ALAN). The article states that ALAN disrupts circadian rhythm of many different animals. It has been documented extensively in insects, migratory birds causing injuries and fatalities through collision in flight and disruption of navigation during migration, and marine ecosystems, including coral spawning and sea turtle hatchling orientation, among other negative effects.

 Thousands of these space mirrors brightening the night sky could spell the death of astronomy. Ground based telescope would no longer be able to see much in our “night” sky, and the huge number of such satellites in space may render many orbiting astronomical instruments useless.

Starlink Satellite Train. Credit Starlink Insider

Astronomers now have to account for the thousands of satellites already in orbit that interfere with delicate observations. The addition of thousands more very bright satellites could end visual astronomy altogether. The star map shows the night sky for this month. No planets will be visible at chart time, but if you can get to a dark location, you can marvel at the hazy band of the Milky Way, a sight that may become rarer in just a few years.

 

Each month, I write an astronomy-related column piece for the Oklahoman newspaper. After it is published there, I post that same column to my blog page.

This is reprinted with permission from the Oklahoman and www.Oklahoman.com.