Written by Sama Labib
Saturday, June 10, 2023 03:00 AM
With increasing numbers satellites In the sky, astronomers have repeatedly expressed concern over how these satellites could affect scientific research and earlier this year.
A review of Hubble Space Telescope observations showed how some images were destroyed by streaks of light from satellites — and while only a small percentage of Hubble images were affected, the authors raised concerns with the number of satellites that will explode over the next decade. The problem can be serious.
Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which now operates Hubble, have come up with a tool to manipulate satellite lines in Hubble images, STScI’s Dave Stark said in a statement.
We have developed a new satellite trajectory instrument, which is superior to previous satellite programs because it is more sensitive. So we think it’s better to find and remove satellite tracks in Hubble images.”
The instrument works by looking for tracks in images from one of Hubble’s cameras, the Advanced Camera for Surveys. This camera has a very wide field of view, which means it can capture a large part of the sky at once. This is useful in this case, because tracks from satellites cross a very small percentage of the image.
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