- NASA warns nearly all space telescope images risk contamination from satellite light streaks
- Megaconstellations like Starlink cause interference by reflecting and emitting light in orbit
- Study estimates SPHEREx, ARRAKIHS, and Xuntian telescopes could have 96% image contamination
NASA on Wednesday warned that almost all space telescope images could soon be contaminated due to the increasing number of satellites in low-Earth orbit. The satellites, part of megaconstellations like Elon Musk's Starlink, reflect sunlight and emit light, causing streaks and interference in telescope images.
This is not the first time experts have sounded an alarm over the increasing number of satellites, but the latest study, published in the journal Nature, is the first to estimate the magnitude of damage that can be done to space-based astronomy.
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The researchers revealed that NASA's SPHEREx telescope, the European Space Agency's ARRAKIHS telescope, and China's Xuntian telescope could have 96% of their images contaminated. Meanwhile, the Hubble Space Telescope, with its narrower field of view, could have around 39.6% of its images affected.
The number of satellites in low-Earth orbit has skyrocketed from 2,000 in 2019 to 15,000, with plans to launch 560,000 more by the 2030s.
"Our results show that if these constellations are completed, one-third of the images of the Hubble Space Telescope will be contaminated, while the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), ARRAKIHS (Analysis of Resolved Remnants of Accreted galaxies as a Key Instrument for Halo Surveys) and Xuntian space telescopes will have more than 96% of their exposures affected," researchers wrote in the study.
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"Our results demonstrate that light contamination is a growing threat for space telescope operations. We propose a series of actions to minimize the impact of satellite constellations, allowing researchers to predict, model and correct unwanted satellite light pollution from science observations."
The contaminated images could impact various scientific studies, including asteroid detection and galaxy observations.
Deploying satellites at lower altitudes, darkening spacecraft, and controlling satellite orientation could help mitigate the issue.
