Space Junk

Did you know that according to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), there are currently about 4,987 satellites orbiting Earth? Only about 1,100 of them actually work, the rest are space junk. Old satellites are not removed and so as time goes on, the dead satellites collide and break apart into smaller pieces and much of the space trash is now interfering with the ISS and other functional satellites. About once a week, a piece of dead satellite debris will fall and burn up in the atmosphere.

In 2018, 453 recorded objects were launched into orbit, which accounts for almost 5% of the junk already up there, which means each year, the amount of satellites put up increases exponentially. Governments and private companies put up satellites all the time, including; Sierra Nevada, Audi, Tesla, Virgin Galactic, just to name a few. There is an organization called UCS, the Union of Concerned Scientists, who keep tabs and statistics on functional and non-functional satellites in orbit. I'm not saying there's anything we can really do about rocket scientist litter but it's something to at least be aware of.

So if you don't know how to spot a satellite in the night sky, they look like slow and steady moving stars. If it's blinking, it's probably a plane. Satellites are only noticeable if you take the time to stop and look for a minute but you'll find them every time, there are so many!