The ‘brightest star in the sky’ isn’t what it seems – and stargazers are shocked

A PROTOTYPE satellite has officially become one of the brightest objects in the night sky, leaving stargazers and astronomers horrified.

The huge new satellite, BlueWalker 3, outshines nearly all stars visible in a dark sky, according to a recent study published in Nature.

AST SpaceMobile

The satellite, 693 square feet in size, is a predecessor to an even larger range of planned commercial satellites called BlueBirds[/caption]

AST SpaceMobile

A number of onlookers have welcomed the wider satellite connectivity satellites like BlueWalker 3 will bring[/caption]

BlueWalker 3 is AST SpaceMobile’s prototype, designed to bring satellite connectivity to around half of Earth’s population.

The satellite, 693 square feet in size, is a predecessor to an even larger range of planned commercial satellites called BlueBirds.

It was launched September last year, and is essentially a giant mirror that continuously bounces sunlight toward Earth, and therefore, our eyes.

AST aims to create a constellation of around 90 similar satellites in the near future, a spokesperson told Space.com.

But a study this week revealed it could jeopardise the science of astronomy and radio astronomy.

BlueWalker 3 is more than 400 times brighter than what the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recommends.

The IAU, which led the study, was founded in 1919 to safeguard the science of astronomy.

The paper “shows us that there are no boundaries to satellite brightness”, Patrick Seitzer, an emeritus astronomer at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who was not involved in the study, told Nature.

“I’m concerned that we’re going to see a very large number of large satellites launched in the next decade, and it will change the appearance of the night sky forever.”

IAU researchers assessed the satellite’s shine in the night sky, using the magnitude scale, on which the brightest objects have the smallest numbers. 

BlueWalker 3 has a magnitude of just +0.4, meaning if it were a star, it would be one of the ten brightest in the sky. 

To put the figure into context, the North Star reaches a magnitude of +2.

That is roughly the magnitude limit visible from a city with the naked eye, according to the paper.

‘Mess of the sky’

Stargazers and astronomers alike have complaints about the mega-satellite.

“This satellite was launched without much consideration of its impact on astronomy,” Siegfried Eggl, co-author of the study and member of the IAU CPS, told Space.com.

“The IAU CPS seeks to change that and work on solutions together with the space industry.”

One stargazer wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Astronomers and their bodies and committees need to really fight this.

“And all you high-profile TV astronomers who love telling us how beautiful the sky is? Stop hiding in your trenches, grow spines and come out and speak out against this!”

Another tweeted: “It remains way past time to stop letting corporations unilaterally make a mess of the sky.”

In a statement to Nature, AST SpaceMobile said that it is currently working with NASA and astronomy groups to address these concerns.

A number of onlookers have welcomed the wider satellite connectivity satellites like BlueWalker 3 will bring.

“Looks like the BlueWalker 3 satellite is giving us some cosmic connectivity! But yeah, light pollution, not cool,” another onlooker weighed in.

A fourth wrote: “Benefits of satellites like this outweigh the drawbacks.

“It’s a very interesting study, one that completely neglects to reflect on the prosperity and access to information that would be found with inventions such as these in the sky.”

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