60 Starlink satellites passing over Paris, 31 Dec 2019

This is the second batch of Starlink satellites (launched 11 Nov 2019), filmed with Sony A7S and Sigma Art 20mm lens.
Visual magnitude around 3 (easily visible to the naked eye). Prediction of passage by heavens-above.com
More videos on my YT channel. Thierry Legault - www.astrophoto.fr

My last video of 2019!

What may be fun to see occasionally could become a nightmare for professional and amateur astronomers. Until now, we suffered from light pollution from the ground, which we tried to get rid of by going to remote places (mountains, deserts...) to admire and photograph the sky as it really is. This time, the threat comes from the sky itself...

In 2019, SpaceX launched 120 Starlink satellites. It is planned to launch 2200 ones in 5 years for a target of 12,000 units in low orbit, with a possible later extension to 42,000 units. And there are others constellation projects: OneWeb, Amazon...There will be more satellites than visible stars in the night sky!

Okay, satellites at an altitude of less than 400 km are no longer visible during the darkest part of the night (astronomical twilight). But a part of the constellation is expected to be placed at more than 1000 km, making those satellites visible much longer during the night.

Above all, we don't always wait for astronomical twilight to take pictures of the sky. The next time a beautiful comet like Hale-Bopp or McNaught approaches the Sun, we will photograph it at dawn or dusk! The polar auroras, lunar eclipses and gatherings of planets do not wait for the dark night to offer us their magnificent spectacle! And will we be able to make night landscapes and time lapses anymore if they are covered with satellite streaks in all directions? Can we still do this in a few years? www.youtube.com/watch?v=-supfpRIWLs

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