Although I'm generally a fan of SpaceX and their rocket launching technology, I am not a big fan of their Starlink project. That's because it's having a huge negative effect on terrestrial astronomy – an effect that is only going to get worse as more satellites are launched.
Vox.com looks at the situation in detail.
Starlink and its competitors are in pursuit of a goal with merit: to connect more of the world, particularly remote, rural places, to the internet. Too many places are cut off from broadband access, and therefore cut off from the modern world and economy. This increased connectivity could even help scientists do their work in more places on Earth. (It’s not completely altruistic, however: These companies plan on charging for this internet.)
But it comes with a cost. Because these satellites are so close, and reflective, they are often visible to the unaided human eye. But even if they were dimmed significantly, they would still be visible to powerful telescopes used in astronomy, should a satellite cross their path. When a satellite comes into view of a telescope, it can ruin the image — or at least provide more work for the astronomers to correct for it. It’s also a problem of numbers.
“The number of satellites orbiting the Earth is about to increase by about an order of magnitude,” Barentine says. “And that makes it increasingly likely that science will be lost.”
Beyond appearing as just streaks in images or distinct lights in the sky, the satellites can also introduce a diffuse glow into the background darkness of the night sky. This has already begun.
It's important to note that SpaceX isn't the only company planning a satellite constellation.
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