Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2019 December 10
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                    Starlink Satellite Trails over Brazil
                  Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Egon Filter

   Explanation: What are those streaks over the horizon? New [4]Starlink
   satellites reflecting sunlight. [5]SpaceX launched 60 Starlink
   communication satellites in May and [6]60 more in November. These
   satellites and [7]thousands more are planned by communications
   companies in the next few years that may make [8]streaks like these
   relatively common. [9]Concern has been voiced by many in the
   astronomical community about how reflections from these [10]satellites
   may affect future observations into space. In the pictured composite of
   33 exposures, parallel streaks from Starlink satellites are visible
   over southern [11]Brazil. [12]Sunflowers dot the foreground, while a
   [13]bright meteor was caught by chance on the upper right.
   [14]Satellite reflections are [15]not new -- the constellation of 66
   first-generation [16]Iridium satellites launched starting 20 years ago
   produced [17]some [18]flares so bright that they could [19]be seen
   during the day. Most of these old Iridium satellites, however, [20]have
   been [21]de-orbited over the past few years.

   Infinite Loop: [22]Create an APOD Station in your classroom or Science
                                   Center.
                    Tomorrow's picture: supernova firefox
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    Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([37]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [38]Specific rights apply.
              [39]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC
                           & [43]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1912/StarlinkTrails_Filter_2048.jpg
   3. mailto: egonf @at@ terra .dot. com .dot. br
   4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink_(satellite_constellation)
   5. https://www.spacex.com/about
   6. https://www.spacex.com/news/2019/11/11/starlink-mission
   7. https://spacenews.com/spacex-submits-paperwork-for-30000-more-starlink-satellites/
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191014.html
   9. https://aas.org/press/aas-issues-position-statement-satellite-constellations
  10. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/11/science/spacex-starlink-satellites.html
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181219.html
  14. https://www.heavens-above.com/
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap980402.html
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_satellite_constellation
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000502.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150902.html
  19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTGVuPr9Epg
  20. https://www.universetoday.com/141741/the-iridium-flare-era-is-about-to-end/
  21. https://www.iridium.com/flarewell/
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/VideoLoopTest.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191209.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  32. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=191210
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191211.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  40. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  43. http://www.mtu.edu/