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Low Earth orbits are increasingly congested, impacting astronomical observations and dark skies. Globally coordinated regulatory policies and mitigation strategies are among urgent next steps to protect this shared environment and intangible heritage.
Light pollution affects every region on Earth, including at the poles and even above us in low-Earth orbit. That isn’t news. But the extent of the problem, laid out in our Focus on dark skies, is startling and should turn us all into activists.
Unfettered access to dark night skies is rapidly diminishing, due to light pollution and satellite constellation tracks. Scientists should do more to stand up to ‘big light’ and ‘big space’ and preserve this natural resource.
The launch of ChatGPT late last year has school teachers, conference organizers, Google and others worried, for different reasons. Where should we draw the line when it comes to artificial intelligence?
