天文学家兼作家托尼·菲利普斯博士表示，他找到了一种方法，可以将SpaceX的“星链”卫星星座变成一台气压计。菲利普斯运营spaceweather.com网站，该网站追踪太阳耀斑、太阳风、地球地磁场的变化及其他现象。
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®
周二，他发表了一篇文章，开篇即指出“星链有许多缺点”。“这个超大星座干扰天文观测，用金属再入碎片污染大气层，并将近地轨道推向了‘凯斯勒综合征’的边缘。”
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®
“另一方面，它却是一个极好的气压计。”这是因为地球大气层受热膨胀，通常是对辐射增强的反应。
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®
大多数卫星每天会损失几米的高度，而当大气层膨胀时，其轨道衰减的速度会加快。菲利普斯指出，美国太空军追踪所有人造卫星，并发布关于其轨道的“TLE”（两行轨道要素）数据。
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®
菲利普斯写道：“每个TLE中都隐藏着一个阻力项，称为B（‘B星’）。”“诀窍在于：读取TLE的轨道模型假设大气是固定的。当真实大气膨胀时，卫星减速幅度超出模型预期，拟合的B必须增大，以使轨道与追踪数据保持匹配。B*正是大气密度的体现之处。”
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®
因此，这位天文学家收集并分析了1000颗“星链”卫星、107颗Planet Labs的“超级鸽”卫星、391颗亚马逊“柯伊伯计划”卫星以及651颗Eutelsat OneWeb卫星的TLE数据。每个星座运行在不同高度，但菲利普斯表示，他看到它们都对同一太阳事件做出了反应。
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®
他写道：“利用这一新数据流，我们可以观测大气层的‘呼吸’。”“太阳紫外线加热热层，下沉率与太阳10.7厘米无线电通量同步变化，但滞后两天：上层大气大约需要两天时间才能对太阳的变化做出反应。”
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®
强烈的地磁暴会比那更快地使大气层膨胀，并导致下沉率急剧飙升。”菲利普斯承认，其他科学家也曾利用星链进行过类似研究，尤其是在2022年那场将埃隆·马斯克40颗最优秀的宽带卫星拖入毁灭的地磁暴之后。“这里的新意在于一个持续运行的、公开的、每日更新的指数，由三个独立的星座交叉验证答案，”菲利普斯写道。“没有为此发射任何仪器。卫星群本身就是传感器，通过公开跟踪数据读取。” ®
Astronomer and author, Dr. Tony Phillips, says he has found a way to turn SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation into a barometer. Phillips runs spaceweather.com, which tracks solar flares, the solar wind, shifts in Earth’s geomagnetic field, and other phenomena. On Tuesday, he published an article that opens “Starlink has many downsides.” “The megaconstellation interferes with astronomy, pollutes the atmosphere with metallic re-entry debris, and has pushed Low Earth Orbit to the brink of the Kessler Syndrome.” “On the other hand, it makes a terrific barometer.” That’s because Earth’s atmosphere expand when it heats, often in response to increased radiation increases. Most satellites lose a few meters of altitude every day and when the atmosphere expands the rate at which their orbits decay can accelerate. Phillips points out that the US Space Force tracks all artificial satellites and publishes data called “TLEs” about their orbits. “Buried in each TLE is a drag term, called B (‘B-star’),” Phillips wrote. “Here's the trick: the orbit model that reads a TLE assumes a fixed atmosphere. When the real atmosphere swells, the satellite slows down more than the model expects, and the fitted B has to grow to keep the orbit matching the tracking. B* is where the air density ends up.” The astronomer therefore collects and analyzes TLE data for 1,000 Starlink satellites, plus 107 of Planet Labs' SuperDoves, 391 Amazon Kuiper satellites, and 651 Eutelsat OneWeb birds. Each constellation orbits at different altitudes, but Phillips says he’s seen them all move in response to the same solar events. “Using this new data stream, we can watch the atmosphere breathe,” he wrote. “Solar ultraviolet heats the thermosphere, and the sink rate tracks the sun's 10.7 cm radio flux with a two-day lag: the upper atmosphere takes about two days to answer a change in the sun. Big geomagnetic storms puff up the atmosphere faster than that and cause sharp spikes in the sink rate.” Phillips allows that other scientists have used Starlink for similar studies, especially after the 2022 geomagnetic storm that dragged 40 of Elon Musk’s finest broadband birds to their doom. “What's new here is a running, public, daily index with three independent constellations checking the answer,” Phillips wrote. “No instrument was launched for this. The swarm itself is the sensor, read from public tracking data.” ®