Ask Ethan: How Are Mega-Constellations Of Satellites Changing The Night Sky?

For countless millennia, human beings have gazed up into the abyss of the night sky, mesmerized by the natural wonders of the planets, stars, and Universe beyond our world. Beginning with Sputnik in 1957, however, humanity began contending with artificial points of light streaking through the sky: satellites. With the push towards mega-constellations involving thousands of new satellites, many have

expressed concerns, from casual skywatchers to astrophotographers to professional astronomers. This includes Mark Bailey, who writes in to ask the following:

I’m worried sick about Elon Musk’s crazy satellite constellation fiasco. I watched a string of them drift by brightly the other morning predawn as I was wrapping up my telescope observing for the night. They outshined most stars in the sky and it hasn’t yet begun. [...] I’ve always relied on the heavens for solace and inspiration. The thought of one man ruining OUR constellations—the constellations that our ancestors watched in awe for eons—sickens me in a way like nothing before. What can be done to stop this foolish ripoff of our rightful heritage?

I sympathize with this position, but it's important to understand how these satellites actually will and won't impact our view of the skies. Here's where we are today.