There's a lot more satellites up there

For most kids, summer holidays meant the best things: hanging out with friends until the sun came down, playing video games non-stop, and travelling abroad. For us, it meant camping.

Each year without fail we’d be dragged off to the middle of nowhere and stuck in a field for weeks on end (not fun for a hay fever sufferer). No internet, no TV, and no connection to the outside world. I honestly hated it, and the only thing that kept me sane was my Nintendo DS.

As an adult, summer holidays aren’t as big as they used to be, and while I can appreciate those weeks disconnected from everything, I can’t retroactively say I enjoyed them. But there was one thing I liked from those trips: late nights spent watching the stars.

In particular, I remember how my dad would always make a fuss about satellites. On the rare moments he’d spot one, he’d point it out and we’d be in silent awe of the dot slowly trailing through the night sky. It was one thing to read about them in science books, but to actively see one overhead was a nice reminder that we’re still up there.

Fast forward 20-odd years. When I look up at the night sky, there’s a 9/10 chance I see a satellite within a minute. Often I’ll see a handful go by, sometimes trailing one another, sometimes crossing paths, I even saw one that blinked on and off which was a first – must’ve been reflecting light while spinning about. It’s not like they’re blotting out the sky, but I swear there weren’t this many knocking about when I was a kid, and I can’t be the only one who’s noticed this.

I don’t know what to think about it, it’s not like I’m some authority on satellites. Seeing them is a cool reminder of what humanity is capable of. But at the same time, how many is too many? I couldn’t imagine the work that goes into getting each one up there, let alone the co-ordination required to prevent collisions.

In another life I’d double down on my childhood love for space and be one of those nerds with full-on radio setups decoding SSTV from satellites. In this life I don’t have the room for equipment nor the dedication to respect and use it. At least I can still watch satellites in the night sky.