What Would the Three Wise Men Say About Starlink?

Guest post by Sarah Aminoff of Safe Tech International

By Sarah Aminoff of Safe Tech International Three Wise Men Image by Angeles Balaguer from Pixabay

What would the three wise men say if we could no longer see the Star of Bethlehem because Starlink satellites blinds us from seeing the stars in the night sky?

“For centuries, scholars have suggested the Star of Bethlehem may have actually been a ‘great conjunction’ of bright planets. Jupiter and Saturn came together in a ‘Great Conjunction’ in 2020 that was unlike any seen in nearly 800 years,” according to this article in Astronomy.com.

The Star of Bethlehem: Can science explain what it really was?

In the 17th century, Kepler suggested that a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BCE could be the astronomical origin of the Star of Bethlehem.

Why Starlink Satellites Blinds Us from Seeing the Stars in the Night Sky

Starlink satellites are positioned in low-Earth orbit, so appear particularly bright and move rapidly across the night sky. Sky gazers fear that Starlink satellites may outnumber the stars there are to see. Starlink satellites appear as a train of lights several days after launch and easily visible to the naked eye. What would the three wise men say if Starlink was in place thousands of years ago?

During this holiday season, you too can check for satellites in your night sky, in addition to the Bethlehem star:

https://findstarlink.com

“Astronomers warn bright light and electromagnetic radiation from thousands of Starlink satellites could be interfering with ground-based telescopes … limiting our study of the universe.“

“We’ve had satellites ever since Sputnik 1 launched in 1957. But today, the numbers are mind-boggling. In 1958, eight satellites were launched. By 1967, that number rose to 159. After that, roughly 40 to 150 satellites were launched annually. Fast forward to 2023, and more than 2,600 satellites were launched,” – CBC News

What would the three wise men see with SpaceX ‘mega constellation’ of 42,000 satellites in the sky – a trail of lights instead? Would we have the same holiday stories if in ancient times there was an appropriation of our night sky by private entities such as SpaceX?

Credit: Victoria Girgis/Lowell Observatory Trails made by Starlink satellites

SpaceX is Set to be Even Brighter with Cell Tower in Space!

SpaceX’s new Starlink satellites that connect directly to phones are nearly five times brighter than traditional Starlink cites recent study. “SpaceX plans to form what it calls s “a cellphone tower in space” with thousands of direct-to-cell (DTC) satellites around Earth that offer service straight to unmodified smartphones “wherever you can see the sky.” The higher luminosity of these DTCs compared to regular Starlinks is partly because they circle Earth at just 217 miles,” according to Space.com.

How do ‘mega constellations’ of thousands of satellites damage our earth atmosphere? Andrew Bacon of Space Forge and Jonathan McDowell, Astronomer at Harvard speak out about satellites burning up the atmosphere with aluminum ash in this Space.com expose: “There is now a Starlink reentry almost every day,” McDowell told Space.com. “Sometimes multiple.”

Satellite Launches Create Ozone “Mini Holes”

“NASA aircraft showed that (Solid-rocket motor (SRM) oxidizer) …plumes create dramatic ozone “mini holes” that persist for several days after a launch,” according to Scientific American.

Next steps!

If you want to hold the legacy of three wise men seeing the Star of Bethlehem, or our ability to view our Milky Way, the starry sky needs our help! US Public Interest Research Group has a grassroots petition that members of the public can support.

“Tell the FCC: Satellite mega-constellations need environmental review. We’re in a short window of time when we can prevent making a mess of space and our atmosphere.”
– US PIRG

Please feel free to share the petition with anyone you think might be interested!