alt Hacker NewsI have started to see what I think are star link satellites at night on walks with my kids. It actually makes me sad to see that on person owns the night sky and is changing the literal stars my kids will grow up with. It feels different when it’s the government that theoretically represents people but when it’s one person that feels truly depressing.
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I feel that way about street advertising, beautiful European cities with historical buildings all around and suddenly a big screen/panel asking you to buy whatever.
Change is inevitable. I love seeing artificial objects in space, because it shows that we, humanity, are finally getting there.
Elon doesn't own space, he just happens to be the one who is currently best at making it reachable. There is plenty of space for everyone else, and others will get there, eventually.
I could eat myself up with envy over the money he's making from it... or be glad that it's at least someone getting rewarded for moving humanity forward (while also being an asshole), rather than someone who is starting wars to profit from insider trading...
There are various satellite finder apps. I suspect you'll find starlink satellites are mostly too dim to see - with most of what's visible being other older satellites
I'm the opposite, I feel more depressed when the government controls our lives instead of hard working people who've proven themselves in the marketplace.
Even if it's a government, you pollute the whole sky instead of one country's. This should be done only as a joint world effort, something that is not going to happen. It is very sad.
> It actually makes me sad to see that on person owns the night sky
SpaceX has many owners, especially post-IPO. You, too, can buy the sky and sell the sky.
I wonder if (this part specifically) is a solvable problem? Is it their altitude that causes them to shine? Perhaps finally a commercial use for Vantablack?
This strikes me as NIMBYism at a global scale. At least you've got yours right!
It's hard to find hard numbers, but IIUC even ignoring Elon's Space Program:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/gx04-who-owns-the-most-s...
* Most satellites were private owned, for communications or resource.
* Most government owned satellites have military use, the people that is trying to spy or nuke you or your neighbor.
* A small part is used for science and altruistic activities.
You'll be sad to know there's another mf trying to put a mirror to reflect sunlight near twilight
Money is also a voting system. He can decide those things only because people voted for him with their money. The issue is, not everybody has same voting power in this system. But then again people who have more power were voted for previously by others. So it's kind of representative democracy.
China's Falcon 9 clone (long march 10b) is ready to go. Will you feel better when most of those sky dots are Chinese?
I feel the exact same way after I saw a Starlink line flying over. It made me feel like any sci-fi movie where your entire environment has been purchased and is controlled by corporations. It was a sad feeling knowing even the sky has been claimed by someone now with zero repercussions.
>what I think
Did you actually check with a satellite tracker, maybe show your kids and inspire them with what humanity can accomplish?
It's not one person though. If zero people were using Starlink, then it would be that one person's vanity up there, but since it seems people do find it useful, those satellite lines represent humans being able to connect with modern technology out in the Sahara or in the ocean. For sailors to keep in touch with loved ones and to have a less dreary existence on long ocean voyages. And not to fret, China's managed to land a reusable rocket, so soon they'll have their own constellation up there so it's not just that one particular person making a mess of things.
What we're seeing is humanity managing to become a space faring civilization. I look up and yearn to be up there as well. I'll never make it to space, but it would give me such joy if my children's children had the opportunity to.
They'll also find a way to use LEO as a sky-based advertising platform.
You can say what you want about Musk (I personally think that he is an appaling human being), but Starlink represents everybody who pays for starlink to get access to the internet, not just Elon.
You're not the only one: "Beyond the limit: Satellites and mirrors in space pose threat to the night sky" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48787042
Oh I agree it's an aberration but it seems unavoidable
Why didn't governments try making it?
The US has tons of spy satellites, why not make some for the folks paying taxes? Why do we have to sell our firstborns (data) to Google for maps etc?
If you believe the hype, just wait until 2029 when it's not a person at all!
One person?
Russia and China are coming as well. Expect all big countries have hundreds of thousands of low orbit sats. It required in order to be a powerful military nation. Without it a country is doomed.
If a different person made them you would say "wow so cool I can see sattelies" now you are soyposting about muh kids. Grow up.
You can't launch or transmit without the government's permission.
Come off this nonsense.
The alternative is some company charging the government for the same exact thing.
We live in a remote area with no surrounding lights, perfect for star watching.
It disgusts me that now, at all times, I can see strings of man made objects polluting the skies.
"I saw something I didn't like, so I assumed it was the fault of a billionaire I don't like" didn't use to be the top voted comment on HN.
Starlink satellites have low orbits and only reflect sunlight around sunrise and sunset.
Agreed - I'd consider this public pollution caused by extremely greedy billionaires ruining the planet. They could only amass money because they did not care about social responsibilities prior to do so; any contrary statement made by them to this is only lies, lies and more lies.
Unfortunately you need a government that cares for the whole; in the USA oligarchs rule, so the general public are treated as paying slaves.
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If you look up at a constellation of satellites and feel anything but hope and wonder you are truly a lost soul.
buddy our ancestors didn’t even have light at night nor heat/ac.
life for our kin will only be better.
we will have space stations where you can visit and see all the stars you want.
there will be space tourism and that will be pretty cool.
that’s what i wanted as a kid and its cool to see it play out irl.
edit: dang didn't expect so many negative people
Also, get off my lawn.
I'm in northern Wisconsin right now and the sky looks fucking amazing. Stop being so dramatic.
It’s adorable you think the government represents the people.
Think that the sky is one nuke away from being 100% clean at any given time.
Which government ? And based on the past few month, if your are thinking of the US governemnt; I can assure you that it is actively being harmful to me.
I have no love for SpaceX but at least I can take a subscription or invest and the stock and pretend that those satellites are beneficial to me.
There isn’t a single US government owned satellite that is not actively harmful to me at the moment.
> It feels different when it’s the government that theoretically represents people but when it’s one person that feels truly depressing.
I worked on technology for years that the FCC effectively killed for stupid reasons. So it’s heartening to me that someone can still just do stuff and build things. It’s amazing. If you asked me 10 years ago I would have thought that getting something like Starlink off the ground would’ve been impossible due to red tape.