The high optical brightness of the BlueWalker 3 satellite

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dc.catalogadorgrr
dc.contributor.authorNandakumar, Sangeetha
dc.contributor.authorEggl, Siegfried
dc.contributor.authorTregloan-Reed, Jeremy
dc.contributor.authorAdam, Christian
dc.contributor.authorAnderson-Baldwin, Jasmine
dc.contributor.authorBannister, Michele T.
dc.contributor.authorBattle, Adam
dc.contributor.authorBenkhaldoun, Zouhair
dc.contributor.authorCampbell, Tanner
dc.contributor.authorColque, J. P.
dc.contributor.authorDamke, Guillermo
dc.contributor.authorPlauchu Frayn, Ilse
dc.contributor.authorGhachoui, Mourad
dc.contributor.authorGuillén, Pedro F.
dc.contributor.authorKaeouach, Aziz Ettahar
dc.contributor.authorKrantz, Harrison R.
dc.contributor.authorLangbroek, Marco
dc.contributor.authorRattenbury, Nicholas
dc.contributor.authorReddy, Vishnu
dc.contributor.authorKim, Sam
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-04T16:29:37Z
dc.date.available2023-12-04T16:29:37Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractLarge constellations of bright artificial satellites in low Earth orbit pose significant challenges to ground-based astronomy1. Current orbiting constellation satellites have brightnesses between apparent magnitudes 4 and 6, whereas in the near-infrared Ks band, they can reach magnitude 2 (ref. 2). Satellite operators, astronomers and other users of the night sky are working on brightness mitigation strategies3,4. Radio emissions induce further potential risk to ground-based radio telescopes that also need to be evaluated. Here we report the outcome of an international optical observation campaign of a prototype constellation satellite, AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3. BlueWalker 3 features a 64.3 m2 phased-array antenna as well as a launch vehicle adaptor (LVA)5. The peak brightness of the satellite reached an apparent magnitude of 0.4. This made the new satellite one of the brightest objects in the night sky. Additionally, the LVA reached an apparent V-band magnitude of 5.5, four times brighter than the current International Astronomical Union recommendation of magnitude 7 (refs. 3,6); it jettisoned on 10 November 2022 (Universal Time), and its orbital ephemeris was not publicly released until 4 days later. The expected build-out of constellations with hundreds of thousands of new bright objects1 will make active satellite tracking and avoidance strategies a necessity for ground-based telescopes.
dc.fechaingreso.objetodigital2023-12-04
dc.fuente.origenORCID
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/s41586-023-06672-7
dc.identifier.scopusidSCOPUS_ID:85177425744
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06672-7
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/75464
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:001106758000001
dc.information.autorucEscuela de Ingeniería; Kim, Sam; 0000-0001-8332-0023; 237734
dc.language.isoen
dc.nota.accesoContenido completo
dc.pagina.final941
dc.pagina.inicio938
dc.revistaNature
dc.rightsacceso abierto
dc.rights.licenseAtribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
dc.subject.ddc520
dc.subject.deweyAstronomíaes_ES
dc.subject.ods09 Industry, innovation and infrastructure
dc.subject.odspa09 Industria, innovación e infraestructura
dc.titleThe high optical brightness of the BlueWalker 3 satellite
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen623
sipa.codpersvinculados237734
sipa.trazabilidadORCID;2023-12-04
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