There’s something truly romantic about reclining on a dark night, and watching the stars that twinkle above us.

And there’s something even more fascinating about the photos that our planet’s huge telescopes capture of the Milky Way and galaxies beyond.

The beauty of these things in the past were that when we looked beyond our home planet, we knew that everything above was as natural as can be, untouched by humans, more powerful than many of us can comprehend.

But then came satellites – many, many satellites. And they’ve become something of a bane for stargazers and astronomers alike.

That’s because there are already 8,000 satellites orbiting our planet at a distance of 100 to 1,200 miles, or what is known as a ‘low earth orbit’ (LEO).

These satellites are extremely helpful for life on Earth, supporting our day-to-day technologies as well as helping forecast weather, but they are also problematic as they reflect light back to Earth.

And when you realize that by 2030 there is expected to be around 60,000 of these satellites in orbit, the scale of the issue becomes quite significant.

When it comes to the satellites already in orbit, unfortunately little can be done. But thanks to new research from scientists at Surrey NanoSystems and the University of Surrey in the UK, the impact of the huge numbers of soon-to-be-launched satellites could be mitigated.

And it’s all thanks to a new kind of black paint known as Vantablack 310.

According to a University of Surrey statement, a coating of Vantablack 310 on a satellite could significantly reduce – or even completely avoid the issue of satellites reflecting light from Earth. And as Surrey researcher Astha Astha explains, this could be hugely beneficial to astronomers and stargazers all over the world:

“Studies show that satellite mega-constellations could increase sky brightness by up to 1% in the worst-affected regions, posing a serious threat to astronomical observations and dark sky preservation. Our project directly tackles that challenge by exploring innovative ways to reduce satellite reflectance.”

It is hoped that the coating – which will be tested on a satellite built by students at the Universities of Surrey, Portsmouth and Southampton and launched in 2026 – will make the satellite undetectable from Earth. And that’s thanks to the pioneering technology that has gone into creating Vantablack 310, as Surrey Nanosystems’ Dr Keiran Clifford continued in the statement:

“Our latest coating technology, Vantablack 310, offers super-black performance across a wide range of viewing angles, while remaining robust to the challenging LEO environment. We’re proud to be working with our partners at the University of Surrey to deliver innovations in the satellite sector, ensuring sustainable and equitable access to a night sky for all.”

If the launch and testing goes well, it is hoped that this new ultra-black black coating will improve low Earth orbit sustainability and reduce visual satellite interference once and for all.

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