Scientists Turn Starlink Into a Giant Scanner For Earth's Upper Atmosphere
alternative_right shares a report from ScienceDaily: Researchers have found a clever new way to map a part of Earth's upper atmosphere that is notoriously difficult to observe. Using orbital data from roughly 1,200 Starlink satellites, they reconstructed changes in atmospheric density about 500 kilometers above Earth. [...] The resulting density patterns also showed strong consistency with…
Scientists have developed an innovative method to map a challenging-to-study part of Earth's upper atmosphere using data from Starlink satellites. By analyzing orbital data from approximately 1,200 Starlink satellites, researchers were able to reconstruct changes in atmospheric density at an altitude of around 500 kilometers above the planet.
This new technique builds upon a previous study by the same team, which used general orbital information from Starlink satellites to estimate how thermospheric density changed over time and altitude. The latest analysis, however, provides a more detailed horizontal view of density variations across latitude and longitude, offering a greater understanding of the thermosphere's geographic structure.
With the increasing number of objects orbiting Earth, this method could prove invaluable. More precise information about atmospheric density can enhance predictions of satellite motion, reducing the likelihood of collisions between satellites and space debris. Furthermore, this technique may eventually enable near-real-time measurements of atmospheric density around satellites, facilitating more accurate space weather forecasting and contributing to safer, more reliable satellite operations.
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