A phenomenon that seemed very strange to you, like a garland before its time… You didn’t dream, these are the 53 satellites of the Starlink project led by the American billionaire Elon Musk. When or where can we see them? A danger for the sky? Elements of response.
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“It’s Santa Claus testing his sleigh…” “Seen on the road, from Lorgues to Carces, I thought they were electric wires!” “I thought it was a report of a crane!”
Once again on social networks, the image of these luminous dots in the sky makes people react, sometimes laugh and poses many questions.
Starlink returns! It sounds like the title of an American series… It’s almost that! Where do these points of light that are currently moving in the sky over the Côte d’Azur come from?
Ils come much of the United States since he These are the Starlink project satellites.
Many Internet users have noted the recent passage of the “garland” on the side of Sainte-Maxime or the Rock of Roquebrune:
Starlink is actually a satellite internet provider from Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. It relies on 53 satellites which have formed a light trail in the sky since 2018, launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida by Elon Musk’s private American space agency SpaceX. This constellation using low Earth orbit to provide high-speed internet connection anywhere on the planet.
It would be intended in particular for less densely populated areas which do not have access to high-speed internet.
These satellites orbit around 450 km above sea level. Low Earth orbit reduces the delay in transmitting information. The constellation has been under deployment since 2019.
Currently, 6,000 Starlink satellites are in operation. Ultimately, the constellation should be based on 42,000 satellites.
These small dots pass regularly in the Riviera sky and of course beyond. Confirmation on the project website, they did indeed pass through the Riviera skies for a few minutes at the beginning of December:
Denis Huber is an amateur astronomer in Antibes in the Alpes-Maritimes, he told France 3 that this type of satellite does not produce light. So we can’t see them all the time. The sun must illuminate the solar panels and it is when darkness comes, in the early morning or early evening, that they are particularly visible, including when there is a light mist.
A passage is planned for Monday, December 2 near Six Fours les Plages. You can search for the flyover schedule on a dedicated site.
Beyond the Var, the spectacle should be possible across the entire Côte d’Azur if the sky is clear.
It is a billionaire of South African origin now American, Elon Musk, also CEO of Tesla Motors, who launched the Starlink project. He decided to allow the entire planet to have access to high-speed Internet.
To follow their tour of the earth, a real-time map gives their trajectory.
To better understand the impact of these satellites, you can read the report of the conference “Dark and Quiet Skies for Science and Society” organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the International Astronomical Union (link in English) .
Starlink satellites have a lifespan of five years according to SpaceX and three years according to astrophysicist at the Côte d’Azur Observatory Eric Lagadec. According to an NCRS study published on October 9, 2024, Starlink satellites emit unintentional radio signals that can harm astronomical observations.
