Satellites versus the stars

Discovery

BBC

Science

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2022

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you look up into the night sky, there are around 7,000 active satellites orbiting the Earth. They’re part of our daily life – essential for things like the internet, the GPS in our cars and giving us weather reports. Seven thousand might not sound a lot in the infinite expanses of space. But the reality is that most satellites are found in a small slice of the solar system - called Lower Earth Orbit - and countries and satellite companies are planning to launch hundreds of thousands more in the next decade. So things are about to get crowded. In this week’s Discovery, Jane Chambers speaks to scientists, astronomers from the ALMA Observatory in Chile, space environmentalists and satellite companies like SpaceX about the benefits of this explosion in mega satellite constellations, as well as the unintended consequences to those who value a clear and unhindered view of the stars.

Picture: Radio Telescopes at ALMA Observatory in the north of Chile, Credit: Jane Chambers

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself.
0:03.6	My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts.
0:08.1	I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with a leading journalist, experienced
0:12.2	pundits and the biggest sport stars.
0:14.3	Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the players'
0:18.5	mouths.
0:19.5	But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sport world.
0:24.9	What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to
0:28.8	dedicated sports fans across the UK.
0:31.2	So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more.
0:36.0	The way that we interact with food, the beliefs that we have around food,
0:39.7	the emotions that food hold because food isn't just fuel, it has all of these other things.
0:44.0	In short, we are going to talk about food.
0:47.0	The food chain is the podcast with a love of all things food.
0:51.3	Something is so much part of me.
0:53.4	Each week we take a deep dive into a story centered around food,
0:58.0	adventuring to other cultures.
0:59.6	Look at the food as a kind of a global smog or sport on which I can choose and pick.
1:05.5	Every place has their own rituals about it.
1:08.0	Multiple identities, bowl of possibilities.
1:10.8	The food chain from the BBC World Service.
1:14.0	Just search for the food chain wherever you found this podcast.
	...

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