Nature Podcast

Astronomers are worried by a satellite brighter than most stars

Oct 4, 2023

Astronomers express concern about bright satellites obstructing observations, including BlueWalker 3. Carrot genetics and self-healing diamond discoveries are discussed. The diet of a 400-million-year-old trilobite revealed. The Nobel Prize winners for mRNA vaccine development and atosecond pulse research are mentioned.

33:58

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Quick takeaways

The increasing number of bright satellites in low Earth orbit poses a risk to astronomers' observations, making it difficult to study dim or distant objects.

High-resolution x-ray scanning of a 400 million-year-old trilobite fossil revealed the presence of various organisms, providing insights into their dietary preferences and shedding light on ancient marine ecosystems.

Deep dives

The concern over bright satellites and their impact on astronomers' observations

Astronomers are concerned about the increasing number of bright satellites in low Earth orbit, which reflect sunlight and risk obscuring their observations. The brightness of satellites like Blue Walker-free poses a particular concern as their brightness can interfere with astronomical observations. Light pollution from satellites makes it difficult for astronomers to study dim or distant objects. While astronomers have tools to mitigate the effects of bright satellites, the planned launch of more constellations could pose challenges that impact the amount of science that can be done.

Introduction

3min

Concerns About Bright Satellites in Astronomy

6min

Impacts of Bright Objects in Orbit and Discoveries in Carrot Genetics and Synthetic Diamond

4min

Decoding the Diet of Trilobites

11min

Nobel Prize Winners for mRNA Vaccine Development

5min

Nobel Prize in Physics for Atosecond Pulse Research

7min

In this episode:

00:45 A bright satellite is concerning researchers

Satellites reflect sunlight down to Earth, and some do so with such intensity it risks obscuring astronomers' observations from ground-based telescopes. A paper in Nature suggests that the telecommunications satellite called BlueWalker 3 at times outshines most stars visible from Earth. Astronomers worry about the increasing number of such bright satellites making astronomy more difficult, and so the team suggest that future launches should undergo impact assessments.

Research article: Nandakumar et al.

Nature News: Huge new satellite outshines nearly every star in the sky

09:27 Research Highlights

Analysis of carrot genomes reveals how the vegetable got its orange hue, and the self-healing diamond that can fix microscopic fractures.

Research article: Coe et al.

Research Highlight: Crack this kind of diamond, and it heals itself

11:47 The last meal of a 400-million-year-old trilobite

Trilobites are a group of extinct marine arthropods distantly related to animals like crabs and spiders. Although found throughout the fossil record, little is known about the lives of this diverse group of animals. Now, a team has used powerful x-rays to peer inside a trilobite fossil and uncovered the contents of its last meal, over 400-million-years ago. This animal appears to have been an unfussy scavenger, gorging itself on a variety of small, shelled animals.

Research article: Kraft et al.