Strange fairy lights in the night sky: Tesla boss Elon Musk intervenes in earth orbit with a gigantic project. Astronomers warn of the consequences.
- Strange " light pearl necklaces " cause irritation on earth.
- The UFO registration hotline is no longer idle.
- Behind it is a controversial project by Tesla boss Elon Musk .
Lights in the night sky: Starlink project by Elon Musk puts thousands of satellites in orbit
At the beginning of January, 60 satellites for the Starlink project were launched into space with a Falcon 9 rocket . Behind it is a project by Elon Musk (48) and his SpaceX company . Since May 2019, 180 such communication satellites have been put into orbit .
This is just the beginning: In the medium term, at least 12,000 of these satellites, which weigh over 200 kilograms, should circle their orbits around the planet . By the multibillion dollar project in All a comprehensive, affordable and quick to broadband internet are offered - both metropolitan area, as well as in remote areas of the Earth .
Successful deployment of 60 Starlink satellites confirmed! pic.twitter.com/hA8eUp7dNI
- SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 7, 2020Starlink project triggers irritation for eyewitnesses: the hotline of the UFO registration office does not stand still
The head of the Hessian observatory in Starkenburg, Rainer Kresken, told the German Press Agency (dpa): "After launching, the satellites are relatively close together, very low and therefore very noticeable for occasional observers." The " UFO-Meldestellle " hotline did not stand still. The satellites of the second launch triggered uncertainty, as Hansjürgen Köhler from the Central Research Network for Extraordinary Sky Phenomena (Cenap) explained to the dpa. Many people were irritated and called Cenap. Up to 60 calls came in on some evenings.
Also read on Merkur.de *: Mysterious radio flashes from space reach Earth - a hint of extraterrestrial signals?
New Starlink satellites also visible in Germany in the second half of January
In the second half of January, the 60 new satellites can now often be observed by attentive observers in the morning sky. For example, in Munich on January 17 and 18 in a south-westerly direction at 6.24 and 6.40 a.m. On January 19 at 5.22 a.m. in a southern direction. You can find more Starlink times under this link.
The artificial heavenly bodies do not shine so bright by themselves, but are illuminated by the sun. Over time, if they move into a higher orbit, the pearl necklace structure will dissolve. The chain is pulled further and further apart.
In this video from December 26, 2019, the rapid movement of the satellite chain can be clearly seen:
Also in this clip, taken on May 24, 2019 by hobby astronomer Dr. Marco Langbroek from Leiden (Netherlands), the pearl necklace structure of the satellites is impressively visible:
Astronomers criticize Starlink project: soon more satellites than stars in the night sky?
But there is also criticism of the Starlink project . At some point, more satellites would be visible in the sky than stars with the naked eye, warns astronomer Alex Parker, for example, according to the Futurezone portal. According to various calculations, 70 to 100 Starlink satellites could then be visible at all locations in the world during twilight. The star romance would be gone forever and the orbit would be “littered” ...
To prevent this, SpaceX tested the satellites with a special black coating so that the light rays of the sun reflect less. However, it could be that the satellites heat up faster and the lifespan and functionality are limited, reports Futurezone.
More news from the universe
The giant Giant Star Betelgeuse has lost its brightness dramatically. Astronomers interpret this as a harbinger of a possible supernova. That would also have an impact on us. Meanwhile, NASA has discovered a “second earth” in space - the spectacular find would have gone almost unnoticed! Shortly afterwards, another exciting planet find in the system of "Proxima Centauri" became known.
Another billionaire also has big plans in the universe : Yusaku Maezawa uses an advertisement to find a woman for a passionate moon mission.
Astronomers have now made an astonishing discovery in space: six objects have been identified in the center of the Milky Way that have so far not been classified.
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* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editors network
Rubric list picture: © Marco Langbroek / Screenshot YouTube
