NSF NOIRLab’s Post

#NEWS: We have issued our first recommendations paper urging action to address the impact of satellite constellations on astronomy 🛰️. 🔗 Read it here: https://loom.ly/n-5Iw6Y The 30-page paper is the result of 18 months’ work by experts including astronomers, industry representatives and policy advisors. It proposes measures and mitigation strategies for different stakeholders, including calling for satellite operators to adopt voluntary mitigations, and outlines the regulations needed at both the national and international level. NSF's NOIRLab, SKA Observatory, The International Astronomical Union

A very relevant source of recommendations and thoughts for the discussions on the draft EU Space Law coming out soon and for ongoing review and reform processes of national space law. Gratulations to IAU CPS for the immense works and lobbying activities over the past months. #spacelaw #spaceindustry #newspace #bholegal #iisl #escl #euspace

This is a fantastic overview from the IAU CPS on the impacts of increasing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation deployments on ground based optical and radio astronomy, and the need to protect them along with access to the natural night sky for all of humanity. The precautionary principle puts the onus on us as space engineers to understand the wider impacts of our activities and mitigate them where necessary. That way we can ensure we achieve the amazing benefits possible from our technology without destroying other vital areas of activity and the wider space environment. To help in this there are some really valuable recommendations that I encourage any spacecraft or network development team to consider as a core element in their design process. As part my own research The University of Manchester into the development of direct to handset space based extensions to the terrestrial mobile communications network I am now looking at how access to lower orbits will enable smaller, lower power spacecraft. These can then be dimmer and quieter across a range of frequencies and more rapidly traverse the field of view, minimising or removing these terrestrial impacts whilst still enabling ubiquitous, high speed, low latency connectivity. #DarkandQuietSkies #SpaceTechnology #Astronomy #SpaceEngineering #SpaceSustainability

📃Scientific paper: Astronomy, Doughnuts, and Carrying Capacity Abstract: I examine the applicability of ecological concepts in discussing issues related to space environmentalism. Terms such as "ecosystem"", "carrying capacity"", and "tipping point" are either ambiguous or well defined but not applicable to orbital space and its contents; using such terms uncritically may cause more confusion than enlightenment. On the other hand, it may well be fruitful to adopt the approach of the Planetary Boundaries Framework, defining trackable metrics that capture the damage to the space environment. I argue that the key metric is simply the number of Anthropogenic Space Objects (ASOs), rather than for example their reflectivity, which is currently doubling every 1.7 years; we are heading towards degree scale separation. Overcrowding of the sky is a problem astronomers and satellite operators have in common. ;Comment: Seven pages, two figures. To be published in "Astronomy and Satellite Constellations: Pathways Forward", proceedings of IAU Symposium 385, eds. C.Walker, D.Turnshek, P.Grimley, D.Galadi-Enriquez, and M.Aube. For consistency with IAU policy, the version posted here is the submitted text under review Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/hzD ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

📰 Recent Article Spotlight: In astronomy, a stellar occultation occurs when a small body within the Solar System passes in front of a background star. Such events provide a way of measuring the shapes and sizes of these small objects. In a recent article, Ben Attwood creates software to perform high-speed, automated photometry on spool files containing large volumes of images from the European Southern Observatory's 1.54 m Danish Telescope. The article describes the methodology behind the code and shows its use in successfully detecting three occultation events, which could be compared to previous literature. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eQF9sa6T

📃Scientific paper: Piggybacking astronomical hazard investigations on scientific Big Data missions Abstract: Current and upcoming large optical and near-infrared astronomical surveys have fundamental science as their primary drivers. To cater to those, these missions scan large fractions of the entire sky at multiple wavelengths and epochs. These aspects make these data sets also valuable for investigations into astronomical hazards for life on Earth. The Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA) is a partner in several optical / near-infrared surveys. In this paper we focus on the astronomical hazard value for two sets of those: the surveys with the OmegaCAM wide-field imager at the VST and with the Euclid Mission. For each of them we provide a brief overview of the astronomical survey hardware, the data and the information systems. We present first results related to the astronomical hazard investigations. We evaluate to what extent the existing functionality of the information systems covers the needs for the astronomical hazard investigations ;Comment: IAU Symposium 374: Astronomical Hazards for Life on Earth Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/5TkW ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

We are proud to co-sponsor the pivotal conference room paper, 'Protection of Astronomy and Science on the Moon,' now available on the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) website. This critical document, presented at the 67th United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), outlines the need for dedicated processes to preserve the Moon's unique scientific potential in astronomy. Developed in collaboration with the The International Astronomical Union , For All Moonkind, Inc., and the International Academy of Astronautics , this paper emphasizes the importance of safeguarding lunar sites from contamination and interference to ensure the sustainability of future scientific missions. Explore the full paper here: https://buff.ly/45ICXjz.

Research in Indigenous astronomy is not only changing narratives around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and traditions, it’s changing the history of science. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders are sharing deep levels of knowledge, revealing complex systems of astronomical observation, noting the mechanics of eclipses, the impact of meteorites, the variability of stars, the movements of the planets and more. Read insights from The University of Melbourne: https://lnkd.in/gJdsuWYT #melbconnect

Our NRAO Very Large Array is one of our best-selling tees from Organ Mountain Outfitters. I designed the tee inspired by a music video that I produced with a band from Philadelphia called Ruse for Fools which won Best New Mexico Music Video when it was released. I was so inspired by the time spent out in the quiet desert where these satellites were reaching for answers. The unknown. Situated in the southwestern United States on the Plains of San Agustin in central New Mexico, between Magdalena and Datil, the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a prominent centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory. Positioned approximately 50 miles (80 km) west of Socorro, the VLA is comprised of twenty-eight 25-meter radio telescopes, with twenty-seven in operational use and one undergoing maintenance in rotation. Arranged in a Y-shaped array, the telescopes, mounted on double parallel railroad tracks, offer flexibility in adjusting the array's radius and density to optimize the balance between angular resolution and surface brightness sensitivity. Equipped with state-of-the-art instruments, computing power, and functioning as an interferometer, the VLA has played a crucial role in astronomical research. Astronomers utilizing the array have conducted groundbreaking observations, ranging from studying black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars to discovering magnetic filaments and examining complex gas motions at the center of the Milky Way. The VLA has also contributed significantly to probing cosmological parameters of the Universe and advancing our understanding of the physical mechanisms behind radio emission. Sitting at an elevation of 6,970 feet (2,120 m) above sea level, the VLA operates as part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under a cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. https://lnkd.in/gYTii4Bs

Move over JWST, move over Euclid, the eyes of the astronomy world are all moving to look at the Vera Rubin Observatory which is getting closer and closer to what’s known as “first light” in August 2024 - when after 13 years of construction in the Chilean desert, for the first time light will be collected by the 8.4m mirror and travel through the telescope’s optical system. Rubin is one of the most ambitious astronomy projects we’ve ever seen - yes its seen all the usual technological advancements that come with a new observatory - but Rubin stands out due to the sheer scale of what its going to attempt to do. You see, unlike other telescopes which astronomers apply to use to focus in one specific object that they’re really interested in, Rubin will complete a full survey of the entire sky every three nights - splitting the sky up into a mosaic and going back night after night to collect more light and build up a picture of what’s in each part of the sky so that it can record the things that have changed in the sky each night - from supernova, to asteroids, or burping black holes. All of this together means that Rubin will collect a HUGE amount of data, its estimated that it will detect 20 billion objects in the sky over its 10 year survey, and flag 10 million things that change in the sky each night. Over its 10-year survey, it will collect around 60 petabytes of data! So with all that data, Rubin is set to change the face of astronomy forever, as long as we’re prepared for that deluge of data... https://lnkd.in/gByHpeKF