ESO urges 100,000 satellite cap amid 1.7 million satellite plans
A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study says plans to launch more than 1.7 million satellites could seriously mess with our view of space.
The report, out today, urges that we cap the number at 100,000 faint satellites to keep the night sky clear for astronomers.
Reflect Orbital's mirror-like satellites are a big worry: they might shine four times brighter than the full moon and make it tough for both scientists and city dwellers to see the stars.
Satellite surge threatens telescopes and safety
Right now, there are about 14,000 satellites in orbit (with Starlink leading the pack), but that number could skyrocket soon thanks to new projects from companies like Reflect Orbital and Amazon.
If nothing changes, telescopes like ESO's Very Large Telescope could lose up to 28% of their view due to SpaceX's planned satellites.
Plus, more bright satellites mean more risk of debris collisions and even missing dangerous asteroids.
As ESO astronomer Olivier Hainaut puts it, urgent rules are needed before we lose our window into space for good.