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What goes up must come down: How megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink network pose a grave safety threat to us on EarthOpinion Thousands of satellites with incredibly short lifetimes are being sent up into low Earth orbit. When they fall back down they're fireballs of pollution — and what doesn't burn up hits the ground.
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'No radio astronomy from the ground would be possible anymore': Satellite mega-swarms are blinding us to the cosmos — and a critical 'inflection point' is approachingInvisible radiation leaking out of private satellites, like SpaceX's Starlink spacecraft, is disrupting radio astronomers' ability to detect important signals from across the universe. If left unchecked, we could reach an "inflection point" beyond which we can no longer properly study the cosmos, researchers warn.
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NASA plans to build a giant radio telescope on the 'dark side' of the moon. Here's why.A NASA-funded plan to build a large radio telescope on the moon's far side is nearing final approval and could become a reality by the 2030s, researchers say. The ambitious project will help safeguard astronomy from satellite "megaconstellations" — and help scientists unravel more of the radio spectrum.
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How many satellites could fit in Earth orbit? And how many do we really need?The number of satellites orbiting Earth is rising fast, thanks to private companies such as SpaceX. But just how big will these "megaconstellations" become? And what problems might they cause?
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'White streak' appears over US as China dumps experimental fuel in spaceA recent launch of China's Zhuque-2E rocket triggered a giant white streak of light to appear above at least seven U.S. states after deploying six satellites into low-Earth orbit. The light show, which was visible in at least seven states, was the result of a "fuel dump," experts say.
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How many satellites orbit Earth?The number of satellites orbiting our planet is rising fast, thanks to private "megaconstellations" that pose various threats to space exploration and astronomy. But how big has the problem already become?
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Planet Nine candidate detected deep in our solar systemResearchers have found a candidate for the hypothetical Planet Nine, which could be an undiscovered giant planet way out in our solar system. However, as with all ninth planet research, the new findings were met with some skepticism.
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China saves 2 doomed satellites with novel 'gravitational slingshot'Chinese engineers have rescued two satellites that were stuck in the wrong orbit using a novel 'gravitational slingshot' method.
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A mysterious, 100-year solar cycle may have just restartedNew research suggests that the unexpected intensity of the ongoing solar maximum may be partly tied to a lesser-known, 100-year solar cycle. If true, solar activity could spike further in the coming decades. But some experts are skeptical.
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