Latest news with #StevenTingay
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Oh Great, Starlink Might Be Blocking Signals That Are Basically From the Dawn of Time
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: SpaceX's Starlink satellites were known to interfere with visible light astronomical observations, but many have now been found to be interfering with radio observations by leaking radio emissions. While this is unintentional, unchecked leakage of radio waves could block observations that go back to when the universe was only a billion years old. Starlink needs to intervene as soon as possible, before the emissions end up blocking faint light from the Epoch of Reionization—when neutral hydrogen was reionized by light from the first stars. Mega-constellations of satellites are connecting more and more of the world to the internet, beaming it down to Earth on an unprecedented scale. Unfortunately, in that process, they seem to be putting other scientific efforts at risk. With over 7,600 small satellites hovering in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and a total of 12,000 (with an extension to a possible 36,000) planned, SpaceX's Starlink is without a doubt the largest satellite mega-constellation bringing internet to the masses. But it comes at a cost—while Starlink is in compliance with regulations intended to keep it from interfering with scientific observations, unintentional leakage of radio waves from thousands of its satellites has reached a level that could severely interfere with observations of faint radio sources going back to the early days of the universe. SpaceX has managed to prevent some interference by switching off beams that transmit internet when their satellites pass over telescopes, but that hasn't cancelled out the entire problem. Astronomer Steven Tingay of Curtin University's International Center for Radio Astronomy Research in Australia is concerned. He and colleagues Dylan Grigg and Marcin Sokolowski investigated the types of emissions that were leaking from Starlink satellites, how much of these emissions were being released, and in what ways the mega-constellation could have a negative impact on Earth-based radio observations. He previously used the SKA-Low prototype station to analyze satellite constellation impacts on radio astronomy. 'A small fraction of the radio spectrum across the SKA-Low's bandwidth has protection for radio astronomy,' Tingay, Grigg, and Sokolowski said in a study recently posted to the preprint server arXiv. 'Although these protections exist, a succession of research has shown that an increasing number of satellites are being detected transmitting unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) outside their designated downlink frequencies, and sometimes at these protected frequencies.' Some of SKA-Low's bandwidth—3.7 percent, to be exact—is protected by the International Telecommunications Union's Radiocommunication. But 3.7 percent is proving not to be enough. Starlink launches were already problematic when Tingay and his team conducted the study, with 477 satellites being sent to space during the four months they were collecting data. The two frequencies being released by many of the satellites in the constellation were 137.5 MHz and 159.4 MHz, which are two of the same radio frequencies at which astronomical observations are made. Tingay's team conducted the largest survey of Starlink satellites at SKA-Low frequencies. While there are there different models of satellite producing varying emissions, most of the ones that were leaking the problematic radio waves were type v2-mini-Ku (though, some v2-mini DTC and v1.5 models were also emitting waves at these frequencies). Starlink owns 75% of the v2-mini-Ku satellites in orbit, meaning that the company has the greatest responsibility when it comes to leakage from from these particular models. Leakage may go beyond interference in certain domains, even going so far as to potentially block observations that go all the way back to the Epoch of Reionizaiton—about a billion years after the Big Bang. This was when most of the electrically neutral hydrogen in the universe was charged by rising levels of radiation from the most ancient massive stars, known as Population III or Pop III stars (no Pop III stars have been detected yet). If left unchecked, radio emissions from Starlink satellites could get in the way of monumental discoveries. 'Future mitigation of the UEMR from Starlink satellites will be key for ultra-sensitive experiments with the SKA,' the researchers said. 'SpaceX has made significant progress liaising with astronomers in the optical domain, and we hope to keep this dialogue open in the radio domain.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
There's a Giant Problem With SpaceX's Starlink Satellites
Astronomers' attempts to peer into the earliest reaches of the universe could be threatened by thousands of SpaceX Starlink satellites leaking radio emissions that ruin observations made with highly sensitive telescopes. As New Scientist reports, a team of researchers led by Curtin University radio astronomy professor Steven Tingay tracked the signals of almost 2,000 Starlink satellites, with the help of a prototype telescope from the Square Kilometre Array, which is currently under construction in Australia. They found that a third of the data at specific frequencies was being threatened by the radio emissions released by the Starlink satellites, a worrying sign that the Elon Musk-led space company could be hampering our efforts to study the early universe. And the problem is rapidly getting worse. As of May, the company has more than 7,600 satellites in low-Earth orbit, roughly two-thirds of all the operational satellites in orbit combined, and has plans to expand the constellation to tens of thousands. As detailed in a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper, Tingay and his colleagues suggested the small satellites' electronics could be accidentally transmitting radio signals through their antennas. In radio observations, they're extremely hard to miss. "If you look at the signal strength produced by these unintended emissions, it's not unusual for them to be comparable to the brightest natural radio sources in the sky," Tingay told New Scientist. "It's like taking the strongest sources in the sky and putting a bunch more artificial ones in the sky and making them move around a lot — that has a lot of impact, especially on experiments that seek to be ultra-sensitive." Interestingly, SpaceX is emitting signals at ranges that are protected by the International Telecommunication Union, explicitly for the purpose of radio astronomy. However, whether Musk's space firm is acting illegally remains unclear as the transmissions are likely unintentional. "No one's breaking any rules from SpaceX or Starlink — these types of emissions are not regulated," Tingay told New Scientist. "But it is starting to become a discussion in the ITU as to how regulations over this type of emission could be introduced." Besides releasing radio transmissions, SpaceX's satellites have previously been found to be extremely bright, showing up as enormous streaks in night sky observations. Since then, anti-reflective coatings and manipulating their orientations have made them somewhat less disruptive to astronomical surveys. In 2023, SpaceX introduced a "distributed Bragg reflector" for its Starlink satellites, which is composed of multiple layers of plastic to scatter light, but still allow radio waves to pass through. The effectiveness of these reflectors remains unclear. Astronomers are now calling for SpaceX to address the problem of unintentional radio emissions as well. "The best way to stop this unintended emission is for the satellites to either reduce it or to stop it," coauthor and Curtin University masters student Dylan Grigg told New Scientist. "From the operators' side, it would be great to have mitigations on the satellite, and SpaceX has done that already in optical astronomy." Fortunately, SpaceX has been open to dialogue, Grigg and Tingay found after reaching out to the company. More on Starlink: United Airlines Shuts Down Starlink WiFi Service on Its Planes After the Antennae Caused Problems With Its Jets' Equipment
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Aussies stunned by ‘fireball' meteor
Residents in Western Australia have been stunned by a 'fireball' meteor that lit up the skies. The bright fireball passed through the skies about 6am on Sunday over the Central Wheatbelt, producing a brilliant yellow flash and a trail of bright green. Witnesses were able to catch a glimpse of the early-morning meteor from Perth to the Goldfields, however, experts are yet to determine where it eventually landed. The Perth Observatory said the astronomical sight was 'most likely an iron meteor' which had been 'orbiting within the inner Solar System'. 'To shine that brightly, the fireball — technically known as a bolide — would have been about the size of a cricket ball to a basketball,' the observatory said online. According to Perth Observatory's Matthew Woods, the meteor would have been travelling between 16 to 60km per second, leaving behind a trail of green as the built-up friction melted. He told 9News it was 'one hell of a meteor'. 'That was very nice … little surprise for Mother's Day,' he said. Online, witnesses were dumbfounded by the 'spectacular' sight, with some believing it was an aeroplane. 'Never seen anything like it,' one person wrote. 'Thought someone was driving at us with high beams on at first,' said another, who watched it pass overhead from Newdegate. A resident from Mt Magnet said they initially thought the 'huge and burning bright orange-red' light was 'the moon until it moved'. Some thought the meteor was the Kosmos 482, a Soviet-era spacecraft that plunged back to earth more than 50 years after its failed launch to Venus. However, Curtin University astrophysicist Steven Tingay told the ABC it was unlikely the fallen spacecraft, which likely landed over the Indian Ocean on Saturday, though European and US agencies are yet to confirm its exact location.
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Science
- Perth Now
Aussies stunned by ‘fireball' meteor
Residents in Western Australia have been stunned by a 'fireball' meteor that lit up the skies. The bright fireball passed through the skies about 6am on Sunday over the Central Wheatbelt, producing a brilliant yellow flash and a trail of bright green. Witnesses were able to catch a glimpse of the early-morning meteor from Perth to the Goldfields, however, experts are yet to determine where it eventually landed. Residents in Western Australia have been stunned as a meteor lit up the skies on Sunday morning. Supplied Credit: Supplied The Perth Observatory said the astronomical sight was 'most likely an iron meteor' which had been 'orbiting within the inner Solar System'. 'To shine that brightly, the fireball — technically known as a bolide — would have been about the size of a cricket ball to a basketball,' the observatory said online. The 'fireball' meteor left a green trail in its wake Supplied Credit: Supplied According to Perth Observatory's Matthew Woods, the meteor would have been travelling between 16 to 60km per second, leaving behind a trail of green as the built-up friction melted. He told 9News it was 'one hell of a meteor'. 'That was very nice … little surprise for Mother's Day,' he said. Some thought the light was the moon. Supplied Credit: Supplied The meteor was spotted across much of the state. Supplied Credit: Supplied Online, witnesses were dumbfounded by the 'spectacular' sight, with some believing it was an aeroplane. 'Never seen anything like it,' one person wrote. 'Thought someone was driving at us with high beams on at first,' said another, who watched it pass overhead from Newdegate. A resident from Mt Magnet said they initially thought the 'huge and burning bright orange-red' light was 'the moon until it moved'. The meteor created a bright orange and red light. Supplied Credit: Supplied Some thought the meteor was the Kosmos 482, a Soviet-era spacecraft that plunged back to earth more than 50 years after its failed launch to Venus. However, Curtin University astrophysicist Steven Tingay told the ABC it was unlikely the fallen spacecraft, which likely landed over the Indian Ocean on Saturday, though European and US agencies are yet to confirm its exact location.
