Tag: light pollution
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Satellite Sunlight at Night: The Controversial Path to 24/7 Power
The Promise: Beaming Sunlight When the Sun Isn’t Shining A California startup, Reflect Orbital, is pursuing a provocative idea: emit daylight where and when it’s needed by reflecting sunlight from space. By planning a constellation of roughly 4,000 satellites by 2030, the company envisions beams of sunlight that can be dispatched on demand to farms…
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Beaming Sunlight at Night: The Bold Promise of Reflect Orbital’s Midnight Light Constellation
Overview: A Bold, controversial idea In a world where satellite internet is moving from novelty to necessity, a California startup named Reflect Orbital is proposing something even more audacious: beam sunlight from space to Earth at night. The company has sought FCC approval to launch a test satellite designed to reflect sunlight on demand, with…
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Satellite Sunlight at Night: Reflect Orbital’s Bold Plan Faces Scientific Pushback
Overview: A new frontier in nighttime energy In a move that sounds like science fiction, a California startup, Reflect Orbital, is pursuing a license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch a test satellite that would reflect sunlight onto Earth on demand. The audacious goal is to create a constellation of nearly 4,000…
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Sunlight on Demand: The Night-Skimming Mirror Satellites Raising Global Light- Pollution Fears
Introduction: A Bright Idea with Dark-Sky Repercussions A bold, controversial concept is stirring alarm in the astronomy community: a constellation of mirrors in orbit designed to beam sunlight down to Earth so solar farms can operate after sunset. US startup Reflect Orbital calls this idea “sunlight on demand.” If realized, the plan would involve an…
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Sunlight on Demand? The Risks and Realities of Reflect Orbital’s Night-Beaming Satellites
Overview: A Bold Idea Awakens Strong Reactions A US startup, Reflect Orbital, proposes a radical way to extend solar power beyond daylight: a constellation of mirrors in orbit that would beam sunlight down to Earth, effectively delivering “sunlight on demand.” The plan centers on an 18-meter test satellite, Earendil-1, slated for launch in 2026, with…
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Sunlight on Demand: The Controversial Plan to Beam Nighttime Light from Space
Overview: A Bold, Controversial Idea A US startup called Reflect Orbital is proposing a strikingly ambitious plan: beam sunlight from space to Earth to power solar farms after sunset. The concept hinges on giant mirrors in orbit that reflect solar energy down to specific ground locations, potentially enabling round-the-clock solar power. The project could begin…
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How a Total Solar Eclipse Reset Bird Clocks and Sparked a False Dawn Chorus
Overview: A Rare Natural Experiment The April 2024 total solar eclipse—often called the Great American Eclipse—briefly plunged much of central and eastern United States into near-night. The event offered scientists a rare, real‑world test of how birds respond when the light-dark cycle is suddenly interrupted. A team led by Liz Aguilar combined citizen science, machine…
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Birds Rewire Their Clocks: How the 2024 Solar Eclipse Sparked a Dawn Chorus—and Silence
Overview: An Extraordinary Natural Experiment The April 2024 Great American Eclipse offered researchers a rare, near-perfect natural experiment: 4 minutes of daytime darkness sweeping across a broad swath of the United States. A team led by Liz Aguilar seized the moment to study how abrupt light disruption impacts bird behavior. By combining a citizen science…
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When the Sky Went Dim: How the 2024 Solar Eclipse Triggered a False Dawn Chorus in Birds
The 2024 total solar eclipse that swept across North America did more than dazzle observers; it offered a rare natural experiment for scientists studying how light shapes animal behavior. A new study shows that 29 species of birds altered their vocalizations before, during, and after the eclipse, and many answered the sun’s return with a…
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Total Solar Eclipse Triggers Dawn Behavior In Birds: A New Look at How Light Disruptions Shape Avian Rhythms
How a rare cosmic event reshaped bird behavior When the April 2024 Great American Eclipse plunged midday into near-night across much of the central and eastern United States, it did more than dim the landscape. It provided scientists with an unprecedented, large-scale natural experiment to observe how quickly and dramatically birds respond to abrupt changes…