Talk by Dr Robert Massey - A Cluttered & Noisy Sky? How satellite constellations threaten astronomy

Name: Talk by Dr Robert Massey - A Cluttered & Noisy Sky? How satellite constellations threaten astronomy
Start: 2025-09-24T19:30:00+01:00
End: 2025-09-24T21:00:00+01:00
Location: Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution

Schedule

Wed Sep 24 2025 at 07:30 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution | Bath, EN

We're delighted that Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Director for the Royal Astronomical Society, is able to join us to give us his talk "A Cluttered and Noisy Sky? How satellite constellations threaten astronomy (and why you should care)."
65 years ago, the Soviet Union placed the first satellite in space. There are now around 12,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO), the region up to 2,000 km above the ground, and their deployment is accelerating. 2019 saw the launch of Starlink, a satellite constellation built and launched by SpaceX, a system that on its own could soon have more than 30,000 spacecraft deployed. With other operators we could soon see up to 300,000 satellites in LEO by the end of this decade.
This is nothing less than a step change in our use of space. And like most paradigm shifts, it will have significant consequences. A key example is how it will affect the science of astronomy and our view of the sky. Some estimates suggest that as many as 1 in 10 'stars' visible could be satellites, and professional and amateur astronomers alike now face significant challenges to our work. As a result, our community has mobilised, working at a national, international, and global level to tackle a complex problem, and to try to find a balance between the positive results of boosting communications and the impact on the space environment.
Tickets are £5.00 for non-members, £2.50 for students, free for accompanied young people, and free for Bath Astronomers members.
Doors open at 7:15pm. The event commences at 7:30pm with an introduction and update of what is going on in Bath Astronomers and the night sky before introducing the speaker.
Book tickets via TicketSource at:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bath-astronomers/bath-astronomers-monthly-talk-by-dr-robert-massey/2025-09-24/19:30/t-eapjvvm