A million satellites are heading to space. They could change the night sky forever
The rapid increase in satellite launches, driven by megaconstellations like Starlink, is raising concerns about light pollution and space debris. Experts warn that the growing number of objects in low Earth orbit could threaten astronomical research and increase the risk of cascading collisions.
Why it matters
The proliferation of satellites has long-term implications for space sustainability, global internet access, and the future of astronomical observation.
in focus A million satellites are heading to space. They could change the night sky forever AI firms and governments are planning space-based data centres and Elon Musk claims it will take us closer to a sci-fi utopia. That maybe so, but it could also cost us our stargazing past, writes Anthony Cuthbertson
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O n a cloudless night in August, I lay back in a lawn chair and tilted it towards the sky. It was the peak of the Perseid meteor shower , promising up to 100 shooting stars an hour. I only saw about a dozen, but for every meteor I saw, there were dozens of much slower, less spectacular objects drifting across the night sky.
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