Media

Reno Gazette-Journal (11 June 2021)

6/12/2021

SpaceX satellites soaring across the night sky have many wondering what they are

“Starlink is just one representative of a whole new class of what are being called satellite mega-constellations,” said Dr. John Barentine, the director of conservation of the International Dark-Sky Association. These mega-constellations are a group of satellites that fly together in some sort of formation.

“By the end of this decade there could be on the order of 100,000 functional satellites in orbit around the earth and that is more than a ten times increase in what there is now,” said Barentine.

Read more: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2021/06/11/spacex-starlink-satellites-night-sky-lights/7643864002/

Smithsonian Air & Space (June 2021)

6/12/2021

Orbital Debris Creates a New Problem: Light Pollution

Satellites have long been a nuisance for astronomers, since they periodically photobomb long-exposure images, appearing as streaks of light. This new study, however, uses a model to estimate the overall impact of orbiting objects. Researchers found that, collectively, this reflected sunlight has the same effect as ground-based light pollution by making it “difficult to see faint astronomical objects by lowering the contrast between objects and the sky itself,” says astronomer John Barentine, one of the study’s authors. But what makes it more worrisome is its geographic reach.

Read more: https://www.airspacemag.com/space/bright-lights-big-problem-180977824/

NPR Here and Now (2 June 2021)

6/12/2021

SpaceX Satellites Are A Problem For Astronomers

John Barentine, director of conservation for the International Dark-Sky Association, started thinking about the implications of having hundreds or thousands of satellites up in the sky at the same time after the first Starlink launch in May of 2019.

“In the next 10 years, we expect that the number of satellites orbiting the Earth will increase by more than an order of magnitude,” he says. “The Starlink program alone represents about 30,000 objects compared to the roughly 4,000 or so satellites that are in orbit around the Earth right now.”

Read more: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/06/02/spacex-satellites-astronomy

dot.LA (27 May 2021)

6/12/2021

Could a New FCC Challenge Stop SpaceX's Starlink Launches?

John Barentine, director of conservation at the International Dark-Sky Association, told dot.LA there is still more work to do in understanding the dangers of SpaceX's work.

"We do not yet fully appreciate the variety and significance of hazards associated with the deployment of thousands of new satellites into Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), which is quickly becoming a crowded place," Barentine said.

Read more: https://dot.la/spacex-viasat-2653129916.html

Live Science (29 April 2021)

5/2/2021

Space junk is blocking our view of the stars, scientists say

The researchers hope that their paper will raise awareness of the detrimental effects of a trash-filled night sky.

"Our results imply that many more people than just astronomers stand to lose access to pristine night skies," Barentine said. "This paper may really change the nature of that conversation."

Read more: https://www.livescience.com/space-junk-blocks-view-of-cosmos.html

Washington Post (27 April 2021)

5/2/2021

A proliferation of space junk is blocking our view of the cosmos, research shows

“The night sky is a gift the cosmos gives to all of humanity, inspiring awe and wonder and drawing our thoughts to some of the greatest questions humanity has ever asked in trying to understand the universe,” Barentine said. But, he added, “it’s already under assault in many parts of the world from terrestrial light pollution, and the contribution of diffuse light from satellites and space debris potentially robs us of something that is rightly the shared heritage of all people.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/27/starlink-light-pollution/

La Repubblica (2 April 2021)

4/24/2021

Nights less and less dark: the fault of satellites and space debris

"Unlike light pollution on the ground, this type of artificial light in the night sky can be seen over much of the earth's surface," clarified John Barentine of the International Dark-Sky Association, explaining how difficult it is to escape from this type of light pollution. : “Astronomers build observatories far from cities to look for dark skies, but this form of light pollution has a much wider geographical scope.” And it could be a problem not just for astronomers, experts say.

Read more: https://www.repubblica.it/green-and-blue/2021/04/02/news/notti_sempre_meno_buie_colpa_di_satelliti_e_detriti_spaziali-294762788/

Yahoo! Japan (6 April 2021)

4/24/2021

The ever-increasing number of man-made objects around the earth may brighten the night sky by more than 10%

John Barentine, a public policy director of the International Dark-Sky Association working on light pollution , said, "Astronomers have built observatories far from the city in search of a dark sky. "The light pollution from satellites is widespread," said Barentine. "Many people may lose their untouched night sky."

Read more: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c8ac7a630ad37e7fa5a0c3a8c304f8457b5e69bb

NBC News (1 April 2021)

4/24/2021

Fireflies don't respond well to light pollution. They're not alone.

The new insect studies and others highlight some of the harmful side-effects on wildlife of human-made light pollution, said John Barentine, a spokesman for the International Dark-Sky Association, based in Tucson, Arizona.

“Wherever researchers have looked at the effects of light at night on individual species, in almost every situation it is usually negative," he said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/fireflies-dont-respond-well-light-pollution-not-alone-rcna569

Universe Today (3 April 2021)

4/24/2021

Satellites Have Brightened the Skies by About 10% Across the Entire Planet

“Unlike ground-based light pollution, this kind of artificial light in the night sky can be seen across a large part of the Earth’s surface,” explained John Barentine, Director of Public Policy for the International Dark-Sky Association and a study co-author. “Astronomers build observatories far from city lights to seek dark skies, but this form of light pollution has a much larger geographical reach.”

Read more: https://www.universetoday.com/150759/satellites-have-brightened-the-skies-by-about-10-across-the-entire-planet/