A new study modelling Reflect Orbital’s proposed constellation of giant orbital mirrors finds their light pollution would be severe. A single 54 metre satellite would appear four magnitudes brighter than the full moon to anyone in its beam, and its scattered glow would outshine moonlight across the sky from 14 kilometres away, remaining visible from over 30 kilometres out. With the pilot satellite already approved by the FCC despite astronomer objections, and up to 50,000 mirrors planned by the mid-2030s, the research puts hard numbers on a fight over who controls the night sky, and who answers for what’s lost when it disappears.
Source: Universe Today
