A new study is now presenting its findings on SpaceX's Starlink, centered on the massive fleet of its satellite constellation that delivers high-speed internet for humans on Earth and "flaring" for pilots. This phenomenon results in Starlink satellites appearing brighter for those who can see them from the planet, attributing this to when the Sun's light hits it at certain angles.
The research claimed that Starlink satellites can be brighter than expected during certain conditions and times of day and are mistaken to be unknown phenomena in the skies.
SpaceX's Starlink Brings 'Flaring' for Pilots, Humans
A new study recently uploaded in arXiv's preprint server details how SpaceX's Starlink brings "flaring" for pilots and humans on the planet. This phenomenon makes it excessively bright in the skies. While this does not come from Starlink alone, it can get immoderately bright whenever the Sun's light hits the SpaceX-owned satellite at the right angle and time.
In Anthony Mallama of the IAU-Center for the Protection of Dark and Quiet Skies from Satellite Constellation and co-researcher Richard Cole's study, they attributed this to Starlink's bidirectional reflectance function found on the satellite's chassis.
Shining Brightly Like Starlink in the Sky
According to the researchers (via Phys.Org), SpaceX's efforts to decrease Starlink's reflectivity is only applicable when the satellites are overhead, but its geometrical analysis in the study showed how the Sun can beam its light at different angles and create different intensities of the so-called flaring.
Two commercial pilots previously reported Starlink's satellites as Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP), with Starlink shining brightly in the skies and alerting commercial pilots.
Starlink and Light Pollution
SpaceX, Starlink, and Elon Musk are not oblivious to how their satellite constellation contributes to light pollution in the skies. Because of their massive presence in orbit, light pollution problem in the space industry because of the claimed that there was one project called VisorSat, which helps block the Sun's reflection with a shade, a fix to Starlink's presence in the skies.
However, many still think that Starlink's satellites are contributing to the light and sky pollution from space, with people being able to spot the orbiting spacecraft easily. The company previously claimed that it worked on developing dimming devices for Starlink satellites to lessen the glare that it emits and the pollution it would contribute to the skies.
Pilots are spotting them as bizarre manifestations in the cosmos despite the numerous claimed efforts and work behind making Starlink unnoticeable from the surface. The recent study by the researchers has proven this to be true, with Starlink still not safe from being too bright at times because of the flaring phenomenon easily distinguishable by people.
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