Tag: astronomy

Stargazing Activities Should be Made Accessible to Urban Communities to Increase Well-being

COVID made us all aware that sitting inside, disconnected from each other and from nature, is not a way to live. Even without COVID, urban environments can feel devoid of nature, which negatively impacts well-being. City-dwellers need diverse, compelling opportunities that increase nature-connectedness. For a comprehensive plan, effective alternatives to green spaces are needed. Neighborhood stargazing parties could be an alternative to visiting a park or taking a hike.

SpaceX Starlink Satellites Bring Internet to Everyone and Troubles to Ground-Based Astronomy

SpaceX will launch thousands of internet-broadcasting, communication satellites into orbit over the coming years. One of the costs is the interference with ground-based astronomical observations. Bright satellites reflect the Sun and create bright streaks through images, ruining the data. The radio bands used by the satellites will drown out radio-based astronomy that once observed in those bands–blacking out studies of signs of life and the distant past of the Universe.