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Access through your institution Buy or subscribe The team used observatories around the world — from Chile, the USA, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands to Morocco — to measure the

reflective brightness of BW3 in low-Earth orbit at different geometries. Once the satellite unfolded to its operating configuration, its brightness reached magnitude +0.4 — comparable to the

brightest stars in the sky. It is at its brightest at higher elevations above the horizon and increases with the solar phase angle. Even the Launch Vehicle Adapter that held the folded

antenna array during launch measured a magnitude of +5.5. In addition to the clear detrimental effect on optical and near-infrared telescopes, the BW3 gateway downlink frequencies lie next

to the protected radio astronomy band. Increased bright streaks (pictured is a satellite trail from BlueWalker 3 over Observatorio Astronomico Nacional, San Pedro Mártir, Mexico) and radio

noise are inevitable. Nandakumar et al. call for rigorous impact assessments for satellite operators prior to launch. Studies such as this one will be critical in bringing the scale of the

problem to the fore and pushing all stakeholders to engage in mitigation strategies. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your

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customer support AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Nature Astronomy https://www.nature.com/natureastronomy May Chiao Authors * May Chiao View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to May Chiao. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Chiao,

M. The future is too bright and too loud. _Nat Astron_ 7, 1156 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02114-6 Download citation * Published: 10 October 2023 * Issue Date: October 2023 *

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02114-6 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is

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