Satellites keep photobombing the Hubble telescope, and it’s getting worse

Surging satellite launches are creating a growing photobombing problem for space telescopes, with NASA researchers finding that satellite trails could disrupt nearly 40 percent of Hubble's images and up to 96 percent for other telescopes within a decade. As the number of orbiting satellites has tripled from 5,000 to over 15,800 since 2019, the resulting light pollution threatens scientists' ability to detect asteroids and discover new planets.