天空中的环：轨道数据中心及其对天文学和天空的潜在影响
Rings in the Sky: Orbital Data Centres and Potential Impacts to Astronomy and the Sky
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中文总结 AI 辅助
本文研究三家公司提出的三种轨道数据中心（ODC）设计对天空的潜在影响，指出需通过亮度缓解或卫星数量限制避免夜间可见卫星超恒星的未来，还提及极地影响及社会意义。
中文摘要 AI 辅助
若不采取协同缓解措施，轨道数据中心（ODCs）的巨型星座可能从根本上改变天空。潜在变化包括产生在黄昏和夜间部分时段可见的大型连贯结构，以及形成持续的红外和射电源区域。我们研究了三家公司提出的三种ODC设计对天空的潜在影响。尽管已有更多公司计划发射ODC巨型星座，但其他潜在运营方预计将采用此处呈现的相同设计原则。这些系统会产生大型环结构，每个环每天两次划过天空。预计冬季影响最大，此时环结构可能在原本黑暗的天空中移动。环的轨道节点的约束将在很大程度上决定环是天空中的密集弧还是会造成全天空干扰。在极地地区，这些环将全天持续存在，可能干扰极地科学计划。此类结构还会对高纬度社区产生社会影响。我们使用简化的亮度模型（与更详细的计算结果吻合良好）表明，亮度缓解措施和/或卫星数量的硬性限制对于避免未来夜间特定时段天空中可见卫星数量超过可见恒星数量的情况至关重要。
英文摘要
Megaconstellations of orbital data centres (ODCs) have the potential to fundamentally change the sky without a concerted mitigation effort. Potential changes include producing large coherent structures that would be visible during twilight and some portions of the night, as well as produce persistent infrared and radio source regions. We investigate the potential sky impacts of three ODC designs, as proposed by three companies. While more companies have proposed to launch megaconstellations of ODCs, other potential operators are expected to use the same design principles as presented here. These systems would produce large ring structures with each ring passing through the sky twice a day. The largest impacts are expected to occur during winter, where ring structures could be seen sweeping through otherwise dark skies. The confinement of the rings' orbital nodes will play a large role in determining whether the rings will be dense arcs in the sky or will produce sky-wide interference. The rings will persist throughout the day in polar regions, with the potential to interfere with polar science initiatives. Such structures will further have societal implications for high-latitude communities. We use simplified brightness models, which compare well with more detailed calculations, to show that brightness mitigation and/or hard limits on satellite numbers will be essential for preventing a future that has more visible satellites in the sky than visible stars during certain times of night.
