By 
February 4th, 2022
SpaceX Starlink satellites over Carson National Forest, New Mexico, photographed soon after launch.
Credit: Mike Lewinsky/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
The International Astronomical Union has announced the creation of a new
“Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference.”
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is deeply concerned about the increasing number of launched and planned satellite constellations in mainly low Earth orbits.
IAU has chosen the SKA Observatory (SKAO) and National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab to co-host the new center.
Leading voice
The new center will coordinate collaborative multidisciplinary international efforts with institutions and individuals and works across multiple geographic areas “to help mitigate the negative impact of satellite constellations on ground-based optical and radio astronomy observations as well as humanity’s enjoyment of the night sky,” an IAU statement explains.
The center is to become the leading voice for astronomical matters that relate to the protection of the dark and quiet sky from satellite constellations.
SpaceX Starlink constellation pass overhead near Carson National Forest, New Mexico, photographed soon after launch.
Credit: Mike Lewinsky/Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Global coordination
Debra Elmegreen, IAU President, notes: “The new Centre is an important step towards ensuring that technological advances do not inadvertently impede our study and enjoyment of the sky. I am confident that the Centre co-hosts can facilitate global coordination and bring together the necessary expertise from many sectors for this vital effort.”
NSF’s NOIRLab is the U.S. center for ground-based optical astronomy, and the SKA Observatory is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in the UK tasked with delivering the world’s most powerful networks of radio telescopes in Australia and South Africa.
For more details, go to: https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau2201/
Posted in Space News
