2023-10-09 00:00:00
What are these bright spots?
They are satellites! Devices designed by humans that revolve around the Earth. They do not emit light. So, if we see them, it’s because they are high enough in the sky to be lit by the Sun, just like the Moon.
Several of these satellites are launched almost every week by the American company SpaceX. This company sends them into the sky using a rocket. On each trip, it releases dozens of satellites, which is why we see several of them passing in single file. We can observe them arranged like this for up to 15 days following their launch, then they separate. And we don’t see them anymore.
Here is a video showing Starlink satellites observed in Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia. Similar observations have been made in other countries, and even in France.
What are these satellites used for?
These satellites are called Starlink. They are created by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company. This American engineer wants, thanks to his satellites, provide Internet to everyone: in poor countries and in the most isolated places on the planet.
Today, more than 5,000 Starlink satellites circle overhead. But Elon Musk’s goal is to place 42,000 in total.
Thanks to their large numbers and their low altitude (only 500 kilometers from Earth), they are very efficient. They communicate with each other and quickly deliver information sought on the Internet.
What do they look like?
The Starlinks are small satellites, which measure approximately 6 by 3 meters (with the solar panel open) and weigh 1 ton. Thanks to this small size, it is possible to place several in a rocket.
This image is from 2019. You can see the first 60 Starlink satellites before the rocket leaves. They are “folded” into part of the rocket. Once released into space, they will open a solar panel. (HO/@elonmusk/AFP.)
In this artist’s impression, you discover what a Starlink satellite looks like when he opened his solar panel:
(© Photocreo Bednarek/Adobe Stock.)
Thanks to Olivier Sanguy, editor-in-chief at Cité de l’espace, in Toulouse.
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