I saw the first batch of Starlink satellites a few days after the launch when they were still close together. First to last satellite were no more than maybe 30° apart from my point of view. Seeing these bright spots moving silently [0] and in unison was absolutely captivating.

SpaceX seems to be working with astronomers to minimize impact of their satellites on the night sky. While satellites visible to the naked eye are annoying, they are a real problem for astronomical observations where they can saturate the sensors and cause all sorts of artifacts.

[0] Well, that's saying more about my environment than the satellites themselves.

You won't see that often; the reason you saw that many at once was due to a satellite deployment a little under a week ago. For the first few days they orbit very close together before separating into their own orbits.

My understanding is that SpaceX is working with astronomers to minimize the impact to the night sky, but there are hiccups like just after a launch.

Here's my perspective on it. "It's the year 2100, and" ...

1. Lots of lights are moving all over the night sky.

2. There are only stars visible in the night sky.

Considering the implications, which of those two futures sounds preferable?

FYI there is a known issue with the brightness of recent SpaceX satellites, that is being worked on.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1252986968058802177

The important bits:

Everyday Astronaut @Erdayastronaut Apr 23

Is there a reason they’ve been brighter and more noticeable lately? I feel like tons of people are spotting them all of a sudden and they went fairly unnoticed before.

Elon Musk @elonmusk Replying to @Erdayastronaut

Solar panel angle during orbit raise / park. We’re fixing it now.