Your phone might be messing with astronomers' cosmic observations
Astronomers are sounding the alarm: all our phones, WiFi, and new tech are crowding the radio waves and messing with their ability to map Earth's spot in space.
They rely on picking up super-faint signals from black holes using a global network of radio telescopes—a process called geodesy—which is actually what keeps things like GPS and satellite navigation working smoothly.
How does your phone interfere with radio astronomy?
With every upgrade from 1G to 6G, our devices take up more of the radio spectrum, drowning out those faint cosmic signals.
This not only risks scientific research but could also mess with navigation and timing systems we all depend on.
Scientists want to create "radio quiet zones" and protect key frequencies for research, but getting everyone around the world on board isn't easy.
Still, figuring this out is pretty important for both science—and your maps app.