A new study published this week finds that a commercial satellite, called the BlueWalker 3 that launched last year, is outshining most stars, which astronomers say threatens their data collection and research. According to The Washington Post, “the light pollution is expected to worsen as companies plan to send thousands more satellites into space without regulations on how bright they can be.” There are already thousands of SpaceX’s Starlink telecommunication satellites alone that scientists contend with and the company has said it plans to launch up to over 40,000 satellites.
Alexander van der Horst is an associate professor of physics and department chair of physics at the George Washington University. His research focuses on the multi-wavelength observations and modeling of a variety of high-energy cosmic transient sources, including gamma-ray bursts, gravitational wave sources, magnetars, and tidal disruption events. Van der Horst’s observational work covers the extremes of the electromagnetic spectrum, namely with gamma-ray satellites (e.g. Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope) and radio telescopes (e.g. VLA, WSRT, LOFAR, MeerKAT); and he is the Project Scientist of SCORPIO, a new instrument on the optical/near-infrared Gemini Observatory.
Prof. van der Horst can discuss the impact satellites have on ongoing and future research and the growing concerns among researchers of increased satellite presence in space.
If you would like to speak with Prof. van der Horst, please contact GW Senior Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
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