The sky is not falling, but Starlink

The western part of North America has been dealt with with an informal gun during the past week or so. People in California and Canada They seem to have been discovered as the meteorites who fall from the sky, but not the space rock burning in the atmosphere – it is just a sign that someone will have a slightly slower internet connection. The fiery paths that were monitored in the sky belong to the falling satellites, and Report from Earthsky It indicates that we can see them a lot in the near future.

Currently, about one to two the star satellites fell to Earth every day from their place in the thermal cover. This is according to a retired astronomical physicist at Harvard Jonathan McDawell, author of the book ” Jonathan Space ReportWhich follows what is happening in orbit and what is the descent. McDowell maintains a graph This follows the re -introduction of Starlink satellites over time, and the frequency of the Earth’s satellites.

In fact, Earthsky told him that he expects the number of satellites burning in the night sky to continue ascending, with an estimate that there will be up to five per day. In a small part, this is due to the increasing number of satellites operating in the low Earth orbit (Leo).

Not only Starlink there – although it is definitely one of the most abundant satellite providers, with more than 8,500 per orbit, in orbit, For all detailed McDowell records. I told the Earthsky astronomical scientist that when you add in Amazon Kuiper and other satellite groups from the United States, there will be more than 30,000 Liu satellites soon. This number is almost doubled by the addition of Chinese systems, which is estimated that McDwell will reach 20,000 satellites soon.

These Liu satellites are usually The replacement cycle for five years. This means that once we get to McDwell’s estimates for these large groups, the expectation is that about five per day will “retire” from the process and fall from the sky with the end of its life. There are conditions that may accelerate it. A A recent study I found that Starlink satellites had reinforced the atmosphere closer to what is expected during the increasing periods of solar activity. McDowwell also warned of the possibility of more satellites in the sky Kisler syndromeThis happens when the density of LEO objects becomes so high that the collisions become more common, and these collisions produce debris that is likely to cause more collisions.

Most of these satellites will return to the Earth without harmful, but they can not all guarantee – especially when their re -entry is less controlled. Federal Aviation Administration Release Warning that by 2035, it is expected that someone will be wounded or killed every two years due to the fall. So keep your eyes on the sky, and you may invest in a helmet.