Researchers from Northwestern University warned of the possibility of communications satellites scattered in the night sky causing harm to our health. The reason is due to light pollution caused by these satellites and disruption of the body’s biological clock.
The biological clock is a complex internal system that controls sleep and wake times, and also regulates hormones, digestion, and body temperature.
Any exposure to light at night, even if it is light, disrupts the operation of this watch. In the short term, this causes slow wound healing, digestive problems, temporary memory loss, and fatigue. In the long term, these disorders affect the nervous system, metabolism, digestive system, and endocrine glands, which may increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and weak immunity.
Some of these satellites are remarkably very large. For example, AST SpaceMobile launched a commercial satellite called “BlueBird 6” that is 2,400 feet long, which is approximately the size of a double tennis court. This moon is so bright that it can be clearly seen with the naked eye. Astronomers warn that thousands of bright moons could change the appearance of the night sky forever. One researcher pointed out that the sky contains 1,000 stars visible to the naked eye only, so what would happen when 400,000 moving satellites were added?
The matter does not stop there, as there is a controversial project by a startup company called “Reflect Orbital” that plans to use satellites equipped with huge mirrors to reflect sunlight back to Earth after sunset, which could flood entire cities with daylight in the middle of the night.
Although the company assures that the reflected light will be as soft as the moon’s glow, astronomers are concerned about the impact on wildlife and humans alike.
There are currently more than 12,000 satellites orbiting the Earth at 17,500 miles per hour, and dozens of new satellites are launched weekly to expand Internet coverage, and there are requests submitted to launch an additional 1.7 million satellites in the future.
Artificial light at night is not only harmful to humans, but also to animals. It confuses small sea turtles and pushes them towards populated areas instead of the sea, and causes the death of large numbers of migratory birds in cities. (“Russia Today”)
