Scientists uncover 25 hidden space junk trails in geostationary orbit
Scientists just found 25 hidden trails of space junk floating in geostationary orbit, about 35405km above Earth, thanks to some clever image processing.
This is the same orbit where our internet, TV, and weather satellites hang out, so any new debris is a real headache for keeping those services running smoothly.
Geostationary debris persists, 80% unknown
Unlike lower orbits, debris here doesn't fall back to Earth. It sticks around forever.
The study found that 80% of these fragments came from unknown sources.
Stuart Eves, one of the researchers, called the area a "potential minefield" and said we need better debris tracking before sending up more satellites.
With bits of junk zipping around at several kilometers per second and hitting huge solar panels on satellites, it's clear this problem isn't going away anytime soon.