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Satellite streaks block out the Arctic sky
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From intelligence gathering to internet usage to navigation, satellites are used daily across the globe. However, their activity is causing serious issues.
In February, a team of researchers from Western University in Canada, in collaboration with the organization Defense Research and Development Canada, trekked into the high Arctic to try to measure the activity of satellites orbiting across the pole.
Using 14 low-cost cameras, the researchers were able to track satellites passing overhead on the evening of Feb. 22, 2025, compiling them into a long-exposure image to show the total activity for the evening. Each streak of white in the image shows the satellite's path in the sky. Their system was inspired by meteor tracking, with cameras pointed in various angles to catch the entire night sky.
This photo was taken in Eureka, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut.
This novel satellite system has allowed the researchers to produce the first ever full year of satellite tracking data over Canada, according to Western University. The system is currently deployed at four sites across Canada to monitor satellite activity including: Eureka, Osoyoos, British Columbia, and Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan.
With the 14-camera setup, the researchers could track objects in the sky over 11.8 inches (30 cm) in size. To date, the system has found over 17,000 unique satellites and clocked nearly half a billion observations, according to the press release.
While the system gives a more detailed way to monitor satellite activity, it also reveals just how full our skies are with these devices. Not only are satellites chemically polluting our atmosphere with heavy metals, but they are becoming a growing issue for astronomers trying to look deep into our universe. With more launches planned to add new satellites, the question to be asked is: when will the sky be too full?
You can read more about Earth's satellite activity and growing satellite pollution problem.
