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"Somewhere through this web of satellite trails is Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS)" (apod.nasa.gov)
submitted 4 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by eightpix@lemmy.world to c/aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
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Source

"a bright visitor passing through the inner Solar System. Now, the orbiting satellites themselves only appear as streaks because of the long camera exposure, over 10 minutes in this case. On the contrary, to the eye, satellites appear as points that drift slowly across the night sky and shine by reflecting sunlight -- primarily just after sunset and before sunrise. The featured image was taken just before sunrise two weeks ago from Bavaria, Germany."

I guess the only ways to access the natural sky is to leave the atmosphere or to use AI to remove the trails.

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[-] Nikki@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 4 weeks ago

i was so worried about this when I first heard of the sheer amount of starlink crap being launched into orbit. upset that my worries were justified :(

[-] Frozengyro@lemmy.world 7 points 4 weeks ago

Don't worry too much yet, it's still bound to get worse

[-] agingelderly@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

I wonder what those "no contact" tribes think of the increase in moving stars

[-] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

The Sentinelese are the last men standing.

[-] lena@gregtech.eu 6 points 4 weeks ago

This is terrible, but in isolation, this picture looks dope

[-] JakoJakoJako13@piefed.social 4 points 3 weeks ago

Surely this is a bunch of trains right? If this is only 10 minutes of exposure and that's just the random floaters, Astrophotography is kinda fucked. Last time I went out to shoot was 4 years ago and you could see the satellites with the naked eye. It was nowhere near this many in the sky at once.

[-] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today -1 points 3 weeks ago

It's not nearly as much of a problem as this image would suggest. The processing method used in this image was specifically chosen to highlight the satellite tracks. This method would have hidden them entirely.

[-] squidman64@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Wouldn’t that have hidden the comet too?

[-] lurker2718@lemmings.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

No, the comet stays almosf stationary to the stars during such a short time. Hence, it is in every image and therefore also in the final median image.

For average astrophotography satellite trails are not really a problem as it may seem here. Almost any image is processed in such a way in any case. But there are special projects which are heavily impacted, for example the search for asteroids. There you need to look at each individual image, as fast moving asteroids would be deleted with this method.

[-] Malyca@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 weeks ago

It's only a matter of time before one hits another and the debris from that hits a 3rd one, and so on until there's nothing left but debris, preventing the launch of any more. Maybe then we'll get some peace around here.

[-] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago

That would actually be a dope terrorist movie plot. Just launching a satellite with the sole purpose of destroying as many satellites as possible.

[-] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 2 points 3 weeks ago

Space is pretty big and accidental collisions like that are quite unlikely actually. But of course space debris is a real problem, just not quite in the way you describe I think.

[-] wewbull@feddit.uk 1 points 3 weeks ago

Thankfully they're low enough orbit that their orbit would decay pretty quickly. It'd be a superb show as the sky lit up with millions of pieces of burning debris. Not sure what it would do for the atmosphere though. It would be a fair amount of metals being vaporised.

[-] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 2 points 3 weeks ago

Pretty sure it would do absolutely nothing to the atmosphere

[-] LeSparrow@piefed.social 1 points 3 weeks ago

Taking the opportunity to share some cool astrophotography data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory terrestrial telescope in Chile

https://skyviewer.app/explorer

[-] fizzbang@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

I remember being a kid and looking up at a mostly still and dark sky. Fast forward to when I started hiking and camping much more in my thirties. I’m creeped out by the LEO satellites whipping around. I dont know exactly why. It feels like something changed that shouldn’t have. A place that we used to stare into the limitless beyond is now barred or trespassed by something so terrestrial.

[-] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)


It's right there.

[-] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago

So this is why even in the middle of nowhere we can't see the stars? Fuck these satellites.

[-] Decoy2point0@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Out of curiosity, why are the trails dotted? Was tje shutter closed periodically?

[-] Danitos@reddthat.com 0 points 3 weeks ago

Anybody knows why the trails "blink" instead of appearing as a solid line? I'm guessing it's due to clouds in the light path, but I really doubt that's the case

[-] Dhar@lemmy.ca 0 points 3 weeks ago

Probably satellite rotation making them "blink"

[-] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Most satellites don’t rotate once they’re in stable orbit. They like to sit in the sunlight and point at the ground.

[-] hperrin@lemmy.ca 0 points 4 weeks ago

Stupid question: Are they blinking or is that light reflecting? If they’re blinking, why do they blink with visible light?

[-] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 weeks ago

The post says it's the reflecting sunlight at dawn/dusk. Just need to read beyond the headline.

[-] hperrin@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago

Well, I did say it was a stupid question. xD

[-] hobovision@mander.xyz -1 points 3 weeks ago

It is trivial to filter out satellites from night sky photography. We don't need AI. It's been like this for decades.

this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2026
45 points (100.0% liked)

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