Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Jakebsorensen t1_jagib9t wrote

Reply to comment by diesiraeSadness in Satellite Constellations Are an Existential Threat for Astronomy by ChieftainMcLeland

Satellites don’t have flashing lights. They reflect sunlight

11

I_Heart_Astronomy t1_jait71i wrote

They also reflect light from Earth and natural sky glow from the atmosphere, back down. This is why LEO satellites are still readily visible through telescopes or long exposure imaging despite being in the Earth's shadow.

This sub crawls with people who literally have never looked through a telescope in their life saying "ThEy ArE iNvIsIbLe BeCaUsE sHaDoW!". It's simply not true. They are most definitely visible. Not necessarily always naked-eye visible, but they don't have to be for swarms of them to be contributing to light pollution levels.

1