
That Starlink Problem Astronomers Were Worried About Is Happening - ngcc_hk
https://www.sciencealert.com/starlink-is-being-an-absolute-nuisance-to-astronomers
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milesvp
So this is a real problem in the short term for astronomy, but it feels like
the start of a golden age of astronomy. With satellite launch prices going
down and improvements are in optics, I can imagine a fleet of tiny satellites
being launched that can more than rival any ground based observatory. With
signal processing, a ring of satellites working in tandem can give you the
equivalent optics as the diameter of the earth.

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flashman
I'm sure that some enterprising astronomer will release an open source way to
remove satellite trails using orbital elements (if you know where your
telescope is pointing and the current time, you can figure out which pixels
contain satellites), but that really shouldn't be their responsibility.

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tssva
They don't have an inherint right to a satellite free view and Starlink is
just the start of multiple systems which will be launched over the next few
years. If they want to continue to do ground based astronomy it is their
responsibility to determine how to continue to do so.

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ivraatiems
What's the difference between your argument and the following?

"Starlink doesn't have an inherent right to launch satellites, and many new
astronomy papers will be published in the next few years. If they want to
continue launching satellites, it will be their responsibility to do so."

The telescopes were here first, and are in many cases for the public good. Why
does Starlink's dubious, potential private good outweigh that?

To be clear, I am talking about ethical, not legal, responsibility.

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choeger
Simple. Astronomy does not hinder Starlink in any way. You cannot take the
inaction of society and turn it into an entitlement.

By the same token you have no right to demand that people don't ride a bicycle
on streets, just because up until now very few did (unless there is an
explicit law against it, of course, but here it is perfectly legal).

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ivraatiems
Except... don't I? If I didn't like that behavior, I'd protest it.

Why are the rights of [new thing] automatically superior to rights of [old
thing]?

Just because Starlink isn't hindered technically doesn't mean it shouldn't be
hindered societally. When you create something, the obligation is on you to do
so in a thoughtful way that doesn't cause harm. It's not on society to get out
of your way just because you did it.

I'm not sure I understand how that addresses my question.

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boznz
I thought satellite orbits were totally predictable?

