Since the space race of the 1960s, governments have used satellites for science, communication, navigation, and defense/spying. The rise of cheaper, reusable launch vehicles has led to the recent proliferation of satellites by private companies, and now more than 13,000 satellites are operating in low-earth orbit. License applications have been submitted that propose to increase this number 10-fold. What are those satellites doing? How long do they stay up there? How are satellites changing the night sky? What happens if we lose control of them? The talk will address these questions and more.
Next Meeting Presentation
3 Sept. 2026 – Club Meeting Presentation — Thursday night, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
There is no July meeting or presentation.
This free speaker presentation will be offered both in-person in the Mannheimer Room at the lower level of the UNC-Asheville Reuter Center and virtually online. Registration is not required; use this Zoom link to watch the presentation remotely.
This free film viewing for the August meeting may only be watched in-person in the Mannheimer Room at the lower level of the UNC-Asheville Reuter Center. There is no remote viewing avaliable for this presentation.
Although parking is free for this event at the UNC-Asheville Reuter Center, you must register your vehicle with a “Visitor 5pm – 6am” permit type at this link. Once registration is complete, visitors will not need to print or display a permit; the system utilizes camera-based License Plate Recognition technology. All vehicles must park front-end in, so that the license plate is visible.
"Satellites and the Night Sky"
– produced by: Rescued Media
Presented by: Britt Lundgren, PhD,
the Philip G. Carson Distinguished Professor in the Sciences and Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina Asheville.
This Guest Speaker Series Event is a collaboration between the Astronomy Club of Asheville and UNC-Asheville.
Scientists have determined that the Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Putting Earth’s evolution in the context of a single year, with 12:00 a.m. on January 1st as the time of Earth’s formation, modern humans evolved approximately 15 minutes before midnight on December 31st!