Discovery

Satellites versus the stars


Listen Later

If you look up into the night sky, there are around 7,000 active satellites orbiting the Earth. They’re part of our daily life – essential for things like the internet, the GPS in our cars and giving us weather reports. Seven thousand might not sound a lot in the infinite expanses of space. But the reality is that most satellites are found in a small slice of the solar system - called Lower Earth Orbit - and countries and satellite companies are planning to launch hundreds of thousands more in the next decade. So things are about to get crowded. In this week’s Discovery, Jane Chambers speaks to scientists, astronomers from the ALMA Observatory in Chile, space environmentalists and satellite companies like SpaceX about the benefits of this explosion in mega satellite constellations, as well as the unintended consequences to those who value a clear and unhindered view of the stars.

Picture: Radio Telescopes at ALMA Observatory in the north of Chile, Credit: Jane Chambers

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

DiscoveryBy BBC World Service

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

933 ratings


More shows like Discovery

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,724 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

879 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,037 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,541 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,814 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

956 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,881 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

609 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

725 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,832 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,060 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

616 Listeners

Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

Nature Podcast

761 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

93 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

430 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

415 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

821 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

738 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

247 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

354 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

353 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

474 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,162 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

111 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,639 Listeners