A New Satellite Is One of The Brightest Objects in The Sky, And It's a Big Problem

Along with all the technological and scientific advances that bring, there are also potential problems.

The prototype BlueWalker 3 satellite, which was recently launched, was intended to be the start of a communications network that can be accessed by standard phones.

That's a big issue for experts and enthusiasts. Many of the observations on the Universe are made from the surface of the Earth.

The bright stars can be outshone by the satellite's glare.

"BlueWalker 3 is a big shift in the constellation satellite issue and should give us all reason to pause," said Piero Benvenuti, the Director of the IAUCPS.

The astronomer from the University of Washington in Seattle told Science that it's exactly what he dislikes. It will show up as a bright streak in images and possibly saturate camera detectors.

BlueWalker 3 is an impressive piece of equipment. Its 693-square-foot (64- square-meter) antenna array is the largest in the world and can reflect more light than the Starlink satellites.

The goal of the parent company is to have more than 100 satellites up in the sky by the end of the decade. Scientists are concerned about that.

BlueWalker 3 is built to act as a cell phone tower in space, which means it may interfere with radio telescopes built far away from areas with mobile phone coverage.

The Director-General of the Square Kilometer Array Observatory says that it's difficult to observe cell phone frequencies in radio quiet zones.

If not properly mitigated, new satellites such as BlueWalker 3 have the potential to make this situation worse.

They want more discussions to happen over the "equitable and sustainable use of space" because they want to acknowledge the potential for satellites to improve worldwide communication.

Within the US and internationally, the FCC regulates communications networks. The plans to open an office dedicated to space have been announced, but the conversations between the IAUCPS and AST Space Mobile have already begun.

AnAST SpaceMobile is eager to use the newest technologies and strategies to mitigate possible impacts to astronomy.

Next- generation anti-reflective materials are being worked on by us.