What future does radio astronomy have if signals from space can no longer reach us? Astronomers fear too much pollution. Both optically and in the form of leaking radio noise and both on Earth and in space. They hope to secure their future with extra rules and a radio telescope behind the moon.
We use more and more devices that work with radio technology. Think of mobile phones or, for example, electric cars and wind turbines. They are very useful, but on the other hand they also cause interference in measurements.
“The inventions that have emerged from radio astronomy have contributed to everything that puts us at risk today,” explains ASTRON director Jessica Dempsey. “In a sense, we’ve created our own monster.”
A poorly designed LED lamp near the radio telescope can immediately hinder observations. That is why ASTRON has radio silence zones and helps companies test their equipment. This is possible in the so-called Faraday cage where all electromagnetic radiation is excluded.
But another plan is also being worked on to eliminate interference: a radio telescope behind the moon, called LOFAR in Space. Because a radio telescope in space is not affected by noise on Earth.
At the same time, developments in space are also causing more and more headaches for astronomers. For example, Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites leak a lot of noise, according to Dempsey, ‘at a level we have never seen before’.
Using the LOFAR telescope in Exloo, scientists discovered two years ago that the SpaceX satellites can also be seen in other bandwidths where they should not be. Scientists fear for the many satellites that will still be in space.
“There is coming a time when watching radio waves in the universe is like listening to whispers in a crowded, cheering football stadium,” Dempsey says. “The scary thing about that is we may never be able to reverse that.”
To safeguard the future, astronomers want rules in an international context. Dempsey: “But you can write rules and laws all you want, as long as there is no ‘space police’ to point out big companies when they are breaking international space rules, we still have a problem.”
In the three-part series Whispers from the Dark, RTV Drenthe reflects on the unsolved mysteries and questions about the universe. This final episode takes a look at the future.
Watch the episode here: