Radio astronomy, a field that relies on detecting electromagnetic waves from celestial bodies, is particularly vulnerable to interference from these satellites. These celestial objects emit a range of electromagnetic radiation, which astronomers observe using sensitive equipment tuned to specific frequency ranges. However, the radiation from Starlink satellites, albeit equivalent to that from a television set, becomes problematic due to the sheer number of satellites emitting it simultaneously.
This concern is echoed by Federico Di Vruno, spectrum manager at the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) and author of the study. He highlights the potential for significant interference with radio astronomy, given the planned scale of Starlink and other satellite constellations like OneWeb. The cumulative effect of these satellites' emissions could severely impact the quality of astronomical data, making large portions of it unusable for scientific research.