In December 2020, astronomers documented a burst of highly energetic light in one of the most distant galaxies ever observed. But less than a year later, the paper s claims lay in limbo. Other scientists said it had merely been a passing satellite.
Even the most powerful telescopes are in peril as orbits above Earth fill with thousands of new satellites. But scientists aren’t ready to give up the night sky.
“There is enough spectrum for everybody if we all get along,” Space Exploration Technologies Corp. director of satellite policy David Goldman said. It’s the getting along part that’s tricky.
A team of engineers is analyzing what went wrong at Arecibo Observatory in hopes of ensuring no other facility experiences a tragedy like the collapse of the iconic radio telescope.