The sky does not fall, but the Starlink satellites are

The western part of North America was entitled to an unofficial light show in the last week approximately. People in California and Canada have spotted what looks like meteorites falling from the sky, but it is not a space rock that burns in the atmosphere – it’s just a sign that someone will have a slightly slower internet connection. The fiery trails identified in the sky belong to the fall of Starlink satellites, and an Earthsky report suggests that we could see them much more frequently in the near future.

Currently, about one to two Starlink satellites fall every day on earth from their place in the thermosphere. It is according to the retired astrophysicist of Harvard Jonathan McDowell, the author of Jonathan’s Space Report, who keeps a trace of what is happening in orbit and what is happening. McDowell maintains a graphic following the return of Starlink satellites over time, and the frequency of satellites falling on earth is trendy.

In fact, McDowell told Earthsky that he expects the number of satellites burning in the night sky continues to climb, believing that there will soon be up to five per day. This is largely attributed to the growing number of satellites operating in low terrestrial orbit (LEO).

And it is not only Starlink up there, although it is certainly one of the most prolific satellite suppliers, with more than 8,500 currently in orbit, according to detailed records of McDowell. The astrophysicist told Earthsky that when you add Amazon Kuiper and other clusters of satellite from the United States, there will soon be more than 30,000 Leo satellites in operation. This figure doubles almost once you have added Chinese systems, which McDowell estimates will soon reach 20,000 satellites.

These Leo satellites generally have a five -year replacement cycle. This means that once we have reached McDowell estimates for these large clusters, the wait is that around five a day “will withdraw” from the operation and fall from the sky as their lifespan ends. There are conditions that can speed up this, however. A recent study revealed that star satellites have reintegrated the atmosphere earlier than expected during increased solar activity periods. McDowell also warned of the potential of more satellites in the sky to lead to Kessler’s syndrome, which occurs when the density of Leo objects becomes so high that collisions become more common, and these collisions produce debris likely to cause even more collisions.

Most of these satellites will fall back to earth without danger, but it is not guaranteed that they will all do it, especially when their return is less controlled. The Federal Aviation Administration published a report warning that by 2035, it expects that every two years, a person was injured or killed by the fall in debris. So keep your eyes on the sky and maybe invest in a helmet.