The work of the Hubble telescope, known for its spectacular images of objects in the universe, was under threat due to the launch of constellations of satellites. They fly in front of the telescope and leave marks on the photographs it takes, according to The New York Times..

Scientists have published a study in the journal Nature Astronomy, which says that in an increasing number of Hubble photographs there are traces of passing satellites.. The telescope was launched in 1990, since then there have been significantly more devices in orbit.

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" And it will affect astronomy. There will be research that can't be done. There will be scientific work, which will be much more expensive to do. There will be things that we miss,” said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who was not involved in the study..

Most of these satellites are launched by private companies, with Elon Musk's SpaceX, which launches Starlink vehicles, responsible for the largest number..

From 2009 to 2020, satellites hit 3.7% of Hubble images. But already in 2021, this number increased to 5.9%. At that time, there were 1,562 Starlink satellites in orbit.. But the study only lasted until 2021, after which the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit more than doubled to 3,500..

To them should also be added 320 satellites launched by OneWeb.

Mark McCorian, an astronomer at the European Space Agency and co-author of the new study, says the data is correct, but so far it is only part of the problem.. As a rule, Hubble takes several images that are superimposed on each other, which can "

NASA agrees. “Although such an analysis may show a gradual increase in the number of detected satellite tracks over time, most of these bands are easily removed using standard data reduction methods, and most of the affected images can still be used.. The satellite bands do not currently pose a serious threat to Hubble's scientific effectiveness and data analysis,"

But the threat grows as the telescope surveys more of the sky.. Then it takes only one of the two shots, and if a satellite flyover ruins one of them, it will probably no longer be usable..

In addition, satellites can pose a serious threat to a telescope that has not yet been launched.. China plans to send the Xuntian, also known as the China Survey Space Telescope, to low Earth orbit later this year.. It will have a wider field of view than Hubble, which means there is a greater chance of satellites getting into the image..

A SpaceX spokesperson declined to comment on the new study, but drew attention to the company's efforts to minimize the harm from Starlink.. She tried various methods of darkening her satellites, including a reflective film designed to reflect light off the ground..

But according to Meg Schwamb, a planetary scientist at Queen's University Belfast, who was not involved in the study, the light could be directed upward and could potentially make things worse for space telescopes..