--- title: "Ominous Video Shows SpaceX Satellites Cutting Across Sky" description: "As a new video demonstrates, SpaceX's Starlink satellites have been wreaking havoc with astronomical surveys as they become visible to the naked eye." date: "2020-04-22" modified: "2020-04-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ominous-video-shows-spacex-satellites-cutting-across-sky" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "elon musk" - "satellites" - "starlink" - "the digest" --- # Ominous Video Shows SpaceX Satellites Cutting Across Sky ![As a new video demonstrates, SpaceX's Starlink satellites have been wreaking havoc with astronomical surveys as they become visible to the naked eye.]() *\Image: IAU\* ## Ants of the Sky Today, SpaceX is [set to launch]() its next batch of broadband-beaming Starlink satellites, bringing the total currently in orbit to 422. But as a [new video]() uploaded to Twitter demonstrates, the controversial satellites have been [wreaking havoc]() on astronomical research, often appearing as [bright streaks]() in the sky — and adding [potential radio interference](). In the video, a band of bright, fast-moving spots of light can be seen in the night-sky, no telescope required. https://twitter.com/astritspanca776/status/1251844011058397184 ## DarkSat The Elon Musk-owned SpaceX is aware of [the concerns]() and is now racing to find a fix. In January, SpaceX [launched]() an experimental "DarkSat" satellite that featured an anti-reflective coating to make it appear less bright. "Preliminary results show a notable reduction," SpaceX manufacturing engineer Jessica Anderson said during a Starlink missiion, as [quoted by *Tesmanian*](). Despite the coating, many Starlink satellites are showing up, [clearly visible to the naked eye,]() as they travel across the night sky. ## Sunshades SpaceX is now iterating on other fixes. In a [Wednesday tweet](), Musk noted that "solar panel angle" during orbit adjustments of the satellites caused them to be more noticeable and brighter. "We're fixing it now," Musk added without elaborating. According [to *TechCrunch*](), all Starlink satellites will feature "sunshades" starting with the ninth Starlink launch, today's being the seventh. Musk noted on Twitter today that the shades are "made of a special dark foam that’s extremely radio transparent, so as not to affect the phased array antennas," noting that they look "a lot like a car sun visor." **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk details some SpaceX efforts to reduce nighttime visibility of Starlink satellites]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on Starlink:** *[ASTRONOMER: SPACEX SATELLITE SWARM WILL BE VISIBLE WITH NAKED EYE]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()