Satellite proliferation imperils astronomical observations, study finds

SANTIAGO, Aug 20 : As thousands more satellites enter orbit, astronomers may face mounting difficulties in observing the cosmos, according to a study by the European Southern Observatory, which operates telescopes in northern Chile.The ESO study found that existing proposals to launch more than 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including some very bright ones, would substantially degrade astronomical observations. There currently are roughly 15,000 satellites in orbit.Bright streaks of light left by satellites can interfere with observatories and the quality of night-sky photography."Each of these satellites, when it crosses a telescope's field of view, leaves a bright line," said ESO astronomer Olivier Hainaut, author of the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. A sing