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#bluewalker3 — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #bluewalker3, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Grootste commerciële satellieten ontvouwen zich en overstralen de nachtelijke hemel

    Het tijdperk van irritant grote satellieten is aangebroken en gaat ons zicht op de glinsterende kosmos belemmeren. Vijf van de grootste communicatiesatellieten ooit gebouwd zijn onlangs uitgevouwen in een baan om de Aarde. Het is het

    kuuke.nl/grootste-commerciele-

    #ASTSpaceMobile #astronomie #Bluebird #Bluewalker3 #satelliet

  2. This ensures that more big, bright #satellites are coming: "A Block 1 satellite would have 10 times the capacity of the company’s 1,500-kilogram BlueWalker-3 prototype; [Block2] would be twice as big and have 10 times the capacity of a Block 1 BlueBird." (via @spacenews_inc)

    (Also, a reminder that this comms mode is potentially very harmful to ground-based radio astronomy.)

    spacenews.com/verizon-plots-10

    #Space #Astronomy #SCS #BlueWalker3 #ASTSpaceMobile

  3. Large constellations of bright artificial satellites in low Earth orbit pose significant challenges to ground-based astronomy.

    Current orbiting constellation satellites have brightnesses between apparent magnitudes 4 and 6,
    whereas in the near-infrared Ks band, they can reach magnitude 2.

    Radio emissions induce further potential risk to ground-based radio telescopes that also need to be evaluated.

    Here we report the outcome of an international optical observation campaign of a prototype constellation satellite,
    👉AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3.

    #BlueWalker3 features a 64.3 m2 phased-array antenna as well as a launch vehicle adaptor (LVA).
    The peak brightness of the satellite reached an apparent magnitude of 0.4.
    💥This made the new satellite one of the brightest objects in the night sky. 💥

    Additionally, the LVA reached an apparent V-band magnitude of 5.5,
    💥four times brighter than the current International Astronomical Union recommendation of magnitude 7 💥

    The expected build-out of constellations with hundreds of thousands of new bright objects1 will make active satellite tracking and avoidance strategies a necessity for ground-based telescopes

    Satellite operators, astronomers and other users of the night sky must develop brightness mitigation strategies.

    nature.com/articles/s41586-023

  4. Hi #StellariumLabs, is there a way to zoom into the satellite visibility slider?
    I use the ios app and I did not figure out how to do that. Maybe there is a gesture that I missed?
    For example I want to zoom into this flyover of #Bluewalker3 of #AST_SpaceMobile. #stellarium

  5. Hi #StellariumLabs, is there a way to zoom into the satellite visibility slider?
    I use the ios app and I did not figure out how to do that. Maybe there is a gesture that I missed?
    For example I want to zoom into this flyover of #Bluewalker3 of #AST_SpaceMobile. #stellarium

  6. Hi #StellariumLabs, is there a way to zoom into the satellite visibility slider?
    I use the ios app and I did not figure out how to do that. Maybe there is a gesture that I missed?
    For example I want to zoom into this flyover of #Bluewalker3 of #AST_SpaceMobile. #stellarium

  7. Hi #StellariumLabs, is there a way to zoom into the satellite visibility slider?
    I use the ios app and I did not figure out how to do that. Maybe there is a gesture that I missed?
    For example I want to zoom into this flyover of #Bluewalker3 of #AST_SpaceMobile. #stellarium

  8. Hi #StellariumLabs, is there a way to zoom into the satellite visibility slider?
    I use the ios app and I did not figure out how to do that. Maybe there is a gesture that I missed?
    For example I want to zoom into this flyover of #Bluewalker3 of #AST_SpaceMobile. #stellarium

  9. Our IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference paper on observations of the #BlueWalker3 prototype #satellite is finally out in the latest print edition of Nature accompanied by a News & Views piece by @sundogplanets.

    nature.com/nature/volumes/623/

    #Astronomy #Space #SpaceSustainability #LEO

  10. The high optical brightness of the #BlueWalker3 satellite: nature.com/articles/s41586-023 (now open access) -> Bright satellites are disrupting astronomy: nature.com/articles/d41586-023 (quasi-open access) - a team of amateur and professional astronomers has determined that a satellite one-third of the size of a tennis court is one of the brightest objects in the sky, with dire consequences for ground-based astronomy.

  11. "The spectacle offered by a very dark night sky no longer just contains stars and planets that are standing still. We now also see numerous satellites… and only their movement allows us to distinguish them from the natural stars."

    english.elpais.com/science-tec

    #Satellites #Space #Astronomy #BlueWalker3 #Starlink #NightSky

  12. Our Nature paper about the AST SpaceMobile #BlueWalker3 #satellite is out: nature.com/articles/s41586-023

    In it we conclude that "the expected build-out of constellations with hundreds of thousands of new, bright objects will make active satellite tracking and avoidance strategies a necessity for ground-based telescopes."

    Here is some media coverage of it so far:

    nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science

    newsweek.com/satellite-bright-

    theguardian.com/science/2023/o

    #Space #Astronomy

  13. One of the Brightest Stars in the Sky is Actually a Satellite

    While astronomers are already concerned about satellite megaconstellations like Starlink, they'mainlyely invisible to the unaided eye. But a prototype satellite called BlueWalker 3 is easy to spot, even in the most light-polluted skies. Launched in 2022, the 65-square-meter phased-array antenna reached a peak brightness of magnitude 0.4, making it one of the brightest objects in the sky. Satellites like this would obliterate telescope exposures as they pass through, like a flashlight shining into your eyes. And this is just the first of a possible constellation.

    #bluewalker3

    eurekalert.org/news-releases/1

  14. After #starlink#bluewalker3, another thing that will fuck our sky … 😞
    A New Satellite Outshines Some of the Brightest Stars in the Sky
    nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science

  15. In @Nature today: "Huge new satellite outshines nearly every star in the sky" nature.com/articles/d41586-023 plus research article on the high optical brightness of this satellite. #IAUS385

    (I took this myself on November 30th 2022 with my phone from the back garden. That streak is #BlueWalker3 passing through Cygnus 😳)

  16. #BlueWalker3 Satellite Brightness Characterized and Modeled: arxiv.org/abs/2305.00831 -> "The luminosity of BW3 can be represented with a brightness model which is based on the satellite shape and orientation as well as a reflection function having Lambertian and pseudo-specular components. Apparent magnitudes are most frequently between 2.0 and 3.0. When BW3 is near zenith the magnitude is about 1.4."

  17. A favorable overpass of the AST SpaceMobile #BlueWalker3 #satellite seen from Tucson earlier tonight at 0255 UTC on 13th February. At closest approach (575 km), it reached about third magnitude.

  18. Q: Any concerns about satellite direct-to-mobile communications?

    C. Walker: The giant antenna sizes (e.g., #BlueWalker3) are concerning in terms of optical/IR brightness. Obvious radio interference concerns as well, but may possibly be mitigated.

    #AAS241 #LPRISD

  19. BlueWalker 3: Riesiger Satellit war vorübergehend merklich dunkler

    Der riesige Satellit BlueWalker 3 ist eines der hellsten Objekte am Firmament. Zwischenzeitlich war er aber schlechter auszumachen, wohl weil er gedreht wurde.

    heise.de/news/BlueWalker-3-Rie

    #Astronomie #Bluewalker3 #Internetzugang #Lichtverschmutzung #Satellit #News

  20. "Observations of #BlueWalker3 (#BW3) beginning on December 8 of this year indicate that its apparent brightness had decreased. We postulate that the orbital beta angle and resultant solar power considerations required an adjustment to the #satellite attitude around that time. ... This situation indicates the improvement in the appearance of BW3 from the ground that can be achieved with small tilts of the spacecraft."

    arxiv.org/abs/2301.01601

  21. Glad we got a good set of observations of #BlueWalker3 before the weather clagged in solidly this week. Experimenting with getting our 1.8 m telescope to play catch-the-#satellite #astrodon

  22. Der Kommunikationssatellit BlueWalker 3 gehört jetzt zu den hellsten Objekten am Nachthimmel. Die IAU ist besorgt und fürchtet Folgen für die Radioastronomie.
    BlueWalker 3: Astronomen besorgt wegen besonders hellem Riesensatelliten
  23. IAU Centre for Protection of the Sky #IAU-CPS now has an update on #BlueWalker3 #satcon: the 64 m^2 sheet of antenna of the prototype makes it one of the brightest objects in the night sky iau.org/news/pressreleases/det

  24. First published observations of the #ASTSpaceMobile #BlueWalker3 satellite: "The average visual magnitude when seen overhead at the beginning or ending of astronomical twilight is found to be 1.5." #BW3

    arxiv.org/abs/2211.09811

  25. #DerStandard: "#Lichtverschmutzung - Riesiger Satellitenprototyp stört Astronomen mit seiner Helligkeit" "Die 64 Quadratmeter große Antenne des bisher größten Kommunikationssatelliten soll Breitbandkommunikation ermöglichen, ist aber ein Problem für irdische Teleskope": derstandard.de/story/200014098 #BlueWalker3 #ASTSpaceMobile #Astronomie #Kommunikationssatellit #Raumfahrt (ein paar Superlative weniger hätten es auch getan)

  26. Die Antenne von BlueWalker 3 ist die größte eines kommerziellen Kommunikationssatelliten überhaupt. Jetzt ist sie komplett entfaltet, es gibt erste Sichtungen.
    BlueWalker 3: Riesiger Satellit komplett entfaltet, bald hierzulande sichtbar
  27. “For now, astronomers must learn to share the skies with the shiny machines. ‘This is the water we swim in,’ Liszt says. ‘All we want everybody to do is stay in their own lane.’” #BlueWalker3 #BW3 #SatCons

    science.org/content/article/gi

  28. “For now, astronomers must learn to share the skies with the shiny machines. ‘This is the water we swim in,’ Liszt says. ‘All we want everybody to do is stay in their own lane.’” #BlueWalker3 #BW3 #SatCons

    science.org/content/article/gi

  29. “For now, astronomers must learn to share the skies with the shiny machines. ‘This is the water we swim in,’ Liszt says. ‘All we want everybody to do is stay in their own lane.’” #BlueWalker3 #BW3 #SatCons

    science.org/content/article/gi

  30. “For now, astronomers must learn to share the skies with the shiny machines. ‘This is the water we swim in,’ Liszt says. ‘All we want everybody to do is stay in their own lane.’” #BlueWalker3 #BW3 #SatCons

    science.org/content/article/gi

  31. “For now, astronomers must learn to share the skies with the shiny machines. ‘This is the water we swim in,’ Liszt says. ‘All we want everybody to do is stay in their own lane.’” #BlueWalker3 #BW3 #SatCons

    science.org/content/article/gi