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Orbital mirrors would outshine the Moon and flood the night sky with light pollution
A new study modelling Reflect Orbital's planned constellation of giant orbital mirrors found their light pollution would be severe. A single 54-metre satellite would appear four magnitudes brighter than the full moon to anyone in its beam, with scattered glow outshining moonlight up to 14 kilometres away and remaining visible beyond 30 kilometres. The FCC has already approved a pilot satellite despite astronomer objections, and up to 50,000 mirrors are planned by the mid-2030s.
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