Space & Astronomy

Fake star generates 'space graffiti' complaints

By T.K. Randall
January 27, 2018

Image: Milky Way Galaxy Seen From Amphu Laptsa Base Camp
Credit: Pravin Mishra / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Known as the 'Humanity Star', the satellite is a three-foot-wide geodesic sphere with 65 highly reflective panels designed to make it the brightest object in the night sky.

It was secretly launched last week alongside a number of conventional satellites by commercial space exploration startup firm Rocket Lab from a remote region of farmland in New Zealand.

Despite being hailed as a major success for the company however, the Humanity Star itself has drawn a significant amount of ire from scientists and astronomers from around the world.The problem, they argue, is light pollution, which is already making it increasingly difficult to obtain a clear view of the stars. Launching what is essentially a giant disco ball in to orbit around the Earth certainly doesn't help matters and could mark the beginning of a worrying new trend.

"Most of us would not think it cute if I stuck a big flashing strobe-light on a polar bear, or emblazoned my company slogan across the perilous upper reaches of Everest," wrote Caleb Scharf, director of astrobiology at Columbia University.

"Jamming a brilliantly glinting sphere into the heavens feels similarly abusive. It's definitely a reminder of our fragile place in the universe, because it's infesting the very thing that we urgently need to cherish."

Source: The Guardian

Tags: Humanity Star