The Night of the Stars, with Saturn and its rings, a shower of shooting stars, the Milky Way and… its satellites. The 33rd edition of this annual gathering of celestial observations for the general public takes place this weekend in France. Between Friday and Sunday, some 534 events are organized on more than 400 sites throughout France.
The opportunity for astronomy lovers to (re)discover the stars and enjoy the highlight of the show, the Perseid shower of shooting stars. But it is also an opportunity to observe the Starlink satellites, the satellite internet access network of the American billionaire Elon Musk, which makes it possible to connect “white” areas to the international network through low orbit satellites.
“Aliens” or satellites?
On social networks, Internet users were amused by the presence of these satellites in the sky, while many eyes turned to the stars on the night from Saturday to Sunday, the peak activity of the Perseids.
“The famous Perseid meteor shower? No! More like Elon Musk’s ‘Starlink’ satellites,” wrote one of them. While others are ironic about the possible presence of “aliens” in the sky of the Alpilles, some are ecstatic in front of the spectacle.
a line of light
With thousands of satellites orbiting our planet, how do you tell them apart from the stars? For starters, unlike satellites, stars don’t move, except for shooting stars. Starlink satellites, on the other hand, are easily recognizable: they constitute a luminous line, often broken, that moves.
There is still time to take advantage of the Night of the Stars: the French Astronomy Association (AFA) has created an interactive map to list events throughout France. During the 2022 edition, nearly 190,000 people went to astronomy clubs, planetariums, and associations to participate in stargazing with instruments or with the naked eye.
Source: BFM TV
