| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% 11:58 - Jul 12 with 1348 views | StokieBlue |
So this might not sound bad to some but there is a proposal to launch a constellation of 50,000 communication satellites which could in theory:
"An increase of 200 to 300 per cent would leave the affected background approximately three to four times as bright as the natural baseline used in the model."
Whilst this would not be uniform across the globe it would be a huge increase for some areas and could affect the day/night rhythm of plants and animals as well as making life very difficult for ground-based astronomy.
https://spacedaily.com/sd-the-
The level of satellite constellations in orbit is really becoming an issue, the risks of collisions and then cascade effects increase all the time and we certainly don't want a situation where we are boxed in from orbit in a Kessler syndrome:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Given it's an astronomy thread, thought I would add a few images from the last few months below (click for larger versions although still compressed). If this ever happens it's going to be even more difficult to get decent images.
SB
Small section of the Sadr complex:
Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex (travel telescope in Egypt):
Elephant Trunk Nebula:
Jellyfish Nebula:
Rosetta Nebula:
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:11 - Jul 12 with 1242 views | urbanpenguin |
I wrote something about darkness and artificial lighting a few years ago for Landscape Journal. I researched a bit around satellites and the like, but only a bit made it into the final edit.
https://issuu.com/landscape-in |  |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:20 - Jul 12 with 1193 views | StokieBlue |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:11 - Jul 12 by urbanpenguin |
I wrote something about darkness and artificial lighting a few years ago for Landscape Journal. I researched a bit around satellites and the like, but only a bit made it into the final edit.
https://issuu.com/landscape-in |
That's a great article, nicely done.
As you point out towards the end, there are alternatives to the ever increasing light pollution that is thrust upon us. Red lights which don't affect night vision or most animals are being trialled in some places along with much more targeted downlighting to reduce sky glow.
However, if the glow is coming from orbit it's hard to see how any of this can help, the only way to stop it is to not put the huge constellations up there in the first place.
SB | |
| Avatar - M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:27 - Jul 12 with 1181 views | Bugs |
One of my favourite memories of my kids growing up is my mrs, son, daughter and me lying on the trampoline in the front garden at night, looking up at the stars (we live in a relatively dark area). I think we did it almost every August whenever we had a clear night during the Perseid meteor shower. For a few years, the skies seemed to be clear at just the right time. We'd occasionally spot a satellite gliding across the sky, which was always a bit of fun.
Over the last month or so, during the World Cup, I've been taking the dogs out for a walk in the early hours of the morning, and we've had some cracking clear skies. I was shocked by how many satellites are up there now compared with 10 to 15 years ago. I knew Musk had been sending loads up, but bloody hell.
If you look up and don't spot a satellite within 10 to 20 seconds, you're unlucky (or lucky). The night before last, in a small patch of sky about the size of a football held at arm's length, there were four visible at once.
Is there any software that removes these from astrophotography images? Wide-angle shots must be horrendous to capture without something that can automatically remove satellite trails. |  | | |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:35 - Jul 12 with 1135 views | StokieBlue |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:27 - Jul 12 by Bugs |
One of my favourite memories of my kids growing up is my mrs, son, daughter and me lying on the trampoline in the front garden at night, looking up at the stars (we live in a relatively dark area). I think we did it almost every August whenever we had a clear night during the Perseid meteor shower. For a few years, the skies seemed to be clear at just the right time. We'd occasionally spot a satellite gliding across the sky, which was always a bit of fun.
Over the last month or so, during the World Cup, I've been taking the dogs out for a walk in the early hours of the morning, and we've had some cracking clear skies. I was shocked by how many satellites are up there now compared with 10 to 15 years ago. I knew Musk had been sending loads up, but bloody hell.
If you look up and don't spot a satellite within 10 to 20 seconds, you're unlucky (or lucky). The night before last, in a small patch of sky about the size of a football held at arm's length, there were four visible at once.
Is there any software that removes these from astrophotography images? Wide-angle shots must be horrendous to capture without something that can automatically remove satellite trails. |
"Is there any software that removes these from astrophotography images? Wide-angle shots must be horrendous to capture without something that can automatically remove satellite trails."
When you stack a number of wide field images the software looks for anomalies between them such as satellite trails or planes (the flashing lights can be an issue from London). It's not perfect but it works pretty well and the more images you can get to stack the more it has without any issues to work things out.
As you say though, on a 5 minute exposure quite a lot have trails.
SB | |
| Avatar - M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:43 - Jul 12 with 1113 views | BasingstokeBlue |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:35 - Jul 12 by StokieBlue |
"Is there any software that removes these from astrophotography images? Wide-angle shots must be horrendous to capture without something that can automatically remove satellite trails."
When you stack a number of wide field images the software looks for anomalies between them such as satellite trails or planes (the flashing lights can be an issue from London). It's not perfect but it works pretty well and the more images you can get to stack the more it has without any issues to work things out.
As you say though, on a 5 minute exposure quite a lot have trails.
SB |
When you say "the software looks for anomalies...", to which which software are you referring (you seem to have omitted your recommendation). |  |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:54 - Jul 12 with 1068 views | StokieBlue |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:43 - Jul 12 by BasingstokeBlue |
When you say "the software looks for anomalies...", to which which software are you referring (you seem to have omitted your recommendation). |
There are lots of different software which will stack and process images. Some are free, some are quite costly and there are a few in the middle ground.
Siril - This is free and does an excellent job
Pixinsight - This is costly and does a slightly better job (maybe) but also take a lot longer
Seti Astro Suite - Another free one but I've not really used it
I actually use Siril to do the stacking as I think the results are good and it's far, far quicker and then I process the images in Pixinsight.
Happy to help with any questions if people are interested in giving it a go.
SB | |
| Avatar - M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 13:24 - Jul 12 with 999 views | bsw72 |
Humans. Not content with fecking up our planet, they’re now intent on fecking up the local solar system. |  | | |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 14:39 - Jul 12 with 889 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 13:24 - Jul 12 by bsw72 |
Humans. Not content with fecking up our planet, they’re now intent on fecking up the local solar system. |
Not quite sure how you get to that. This is still only affecting planet Earth.
Of course, there are plans to venture further into the solar system and colonising Mars (albeit still only in the early stages of planning) or the Moon (likely to happen much sooner) would be the beginning of that. I think the likely impact of humans beyond planet Earth is minimal for the foreseeable future. |  |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 15:17 - Jul 12 with 844 views | stonojnr |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 14:39 - Jul 12 by Nthsuffolkblue |
Not quite sure how you get to that. This is still only affecting planet Earth.
Of course, there are plans to venture further into the solar system and colonising Mars (albeit still only in the early stages of planning) or the Moon (likely to happen much sooner) would be the beginning of that. I think the likely impact of humans beyond planet Earth is minimal for the foreseeable future. |
but ultimately a necessity for the survival of the human race. |  | | |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 15:22 - Jul 12 with 820 views | urbanpenguin |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 15:17 - Jul 12 by stonojnr |
but ultimately a necessity for the survival of the human race. |
Nah. Humans have survived an incredible amount of time and there's no reason why we shouldn't carry on on this planet for a lot longer, we have all the ingredients for survival but just need to make sure we don't commit mass suicide.
If humans do migrate to another planet it will not be for the benefit of the human race, but a few white nationalist colonial fascists to create a new world in their design. That's not the human race, but a distorted self-selecting subsect. | |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 15:35 - Jul 12 with 798 views | stonojnr |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:27 - Jul 12 by Bugs |
One of my favourite memories of my kids growing up is my mrs, son, daughter and me lying on the trampoline in the front garden at night, looking up at the stars (we live in a relatively dark area). I think we did it almost every August whenever we had a clear night during the Perseid meteor shower. For a few years, the skies seemed to be clear at just the right time. We'd occasionally spot a satellite gliding across the sky, which was always a bit of fun.
Over the last month or so, during the World Cup, I've been taking the dogs out for a walk in the early hours of the morning, and we've had some cracking clear skies. I was shocked by how many satellites are up there now compared with 10 to 15 years ago. I knew Musk had been sending loads up, but bloody hell.
If you look up and don't spot a satellite within 10 to 20 seconds, you're unlucky (or lucky). The night before last, in a small patch of sky about the size of a football held at arm's length, there were four visible at once.
Is there any software that removes these from astrophotography images? Wide-angle shots must be horrendous to capture without something that can automatically remove satellite trails. |
the ones you are seeing, arent Musks. except for soon after their launch deployments, when they nicely present in trains of formations, or if theyre about to re-enter, Starlinks generally are quite low on the visibility scale.
and if theyre the later generation ones, theyre not visible to the naked eye at all once on station, because theyve been specifically designed with the assistance of the various international astronomical societies and observatories to minimise reflections so they arent that visible or impact astronomy too much.
so the ones youre seeing are all the ones others have chucked up there, the Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, the Europeans maybe some of Besoz's, and certainly lots of US military ones. At least the ones that humans have put up there ;) | | | |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 22:15 - Jul 12 with 664 views | StokieBlue |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 15:35 - Jul 12 by stonojnr |
the ones you are seeing, arent Musks. except for soon after their launch deployments, when they nicely present in trains of formations, or if theyre about to re-enter, Starlinks generally are quite low on the visibility scale.
and if theyre the later generation ones, theyre not visible to the naked eye at all once on station, because theyve been specifically designed with the assistance of the various international astronomical societies and observatories to minimise reflections so they arent that visible or impact astronomy too much.
so the ones youre seeing are all the ones others have chucked up there, the Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, the Europeans maybe some of Besoz's, and certainly lots of US military ones. At least the ones that humans have put up there ;) |
They don't "nicely present as train formations", they ruin astronomy for scientists and people like myself.
Not being visible to the naked eye is completely different to being visible to a telescope which is the issue here.
SB | |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 22:49 - Jul 12 with 600 views | Apollo11 |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 12:54 - Jul 12 by StokieBlue |
There are lots of different software which will stack and process images. Some are free, some are quite costly and there are a few in the middle ground.
Siril - This is free and does an excellent job
Pixinsight - This is costly and does a slightly better job (maybe) but also take a lot longer
Seti Astro Suite - Another free one but I've not really used it
I actually use Siril to do the stacking as I think the results are good and it's far, far quicker and then I process the images in Pixinsight.
Happy to help with any questions if people are interested in giving it a go.
SB |
Astro Pixel Processor does a fantastic job removing satellite trails. £60 for the 12 month renter licence. I use NINA for my imaging (in east Ipswich) and it picks up multiple trails in 3 mins exposures (my default). APP does the business tidying it up. | | | |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 22:51 - Jul 12 with 593 views | Apollo11 |
Superb images. Lovely work. | | | |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 22:56 - Jul 12 with 579 views | StokieBlue |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 22:49 - Jul 12 by Apollo11 |
Astro Pixel Processor does a fantastic job removing satellite trails. £60 for the 12 month renter licence. I use NINA for my imaging (in east Ipswich) and it picks up multiple trails in 3 mins exposures (my default). APP does the business tidying it up. |
Yep, that's a great piece of software, I just couldn't really get to grips with it compared to Pixinsight and Siril.
NINA is also a great piece of software.
Do you have any images you want to share?
SB [Post edited 12 Jul 22:58]
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| Avatar - M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy |
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| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 23:09 - Jul 12 with 562 views | Apollo11 |
| Satellite constellation could increase the sky background light by 200-300% on 22:56 - Jul 12 by StokieBlue |
Yep, that's a great piece of software, I just couldn't really get to grips with it compared to Pixinsight and Siril.
NINA is also a great piece of software.
Do you have any images you want to share?
SB [Post edited 12 Jul 22:58]
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Once I work out how to share images on here I'll do so! [Post edited 12 Jul 23:11]
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