Scientists analyze 76 million radio telescope images, find Starlink satellite interference 'where no signals are suppose

https://www.space.com/astronomy/scientists-analyze-76-million-radio-telescope-images-find-starlink-satellite-interference-where-no-signals-are-supposed-to-be-present

There's no doubt that SpaceX's Starlink internet service has connected the world like never before — but at what cost? Astronomers have long voiced concerns about Starlink's satellite constellation interfering with observations of the universe, and a new survey by Curtin University confirms those fears.

An analysis of 76 million images from a prototype station for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope found Starlink satellite emissions affected up to 30% of images in some datasets; such interference could affect research outcomes that depend on that data. The survey identified more than 112,000 radio emissions from 1,806 Starlink satellites, and found that much of the observed interference is not intentional.

"Some satellites were detected emitting in bands where no signals are supposed to be present at all, such as the 703 satellites we identified at 150.8 MHz, which is meant to be protected for radio astronomy," study lead Dylan Grigg, a Ph.D. candidate at Curtin University, said in a statement.

More at link.