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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Nicola Davis

Calls for ban on light-polluting mass satellite groups like Elon Musk’s Starlink

SpaceX Starlink 5 satellites are pictured in the sky seen from Svendborg on South Funen, Denmark.
A ban on satellite megaconstellations should not be ruled out, the astronomers said. Photograph: Ritzau Scanpix/Reuters

A ban on megaconstellations of low-altitude satellites – arrays such as Elon Musk’s Starlink – should be considered, astronomers have said, in an effort to reduce light pollution and preserve our ability to study the skies.

In a series of papers and opinion pieces published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists have raised the alarm about the brightening night sky, with one team of experts calling for scientists to stand up to “big light” as they have to other fields, such as big tobacco and big oil, and bring in regulation.

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