The Humanity Star, created by Peter Beck (Rocket Lab) is a visible satellite meant to “create a shared experience for everyone on the planet.” It was launched on January 21, 2018 and will orbit Earth for nine months before burning up in the atmosphere. Orbiting every 90 minutes, the one meter, 22.7 pound reflective geodesic sphere consists of 76 panels that reflect sunlight as it spins, causing the flashing light we see in the sky.
On the official Humanity Star website you can track when the next time you’ll be able to see it will be. Just enter your location and it will give you the date and time, expected duration, and where in the sky you should look. And below that, in the “education” section, there are PDF activities you can print out and make your own Humanity Star model!
The website defines the hope for the Humanity Star to “draw more people to the night sky, perhaps those who may not otherwise be looking.” I hope that I can have this same impact on my readers: that, maybe, by seeing my passion for space through my posts and following me along on my own night observations, you’ll be inspired to go on your own adventures - looking up, learning, dreaming. And if I’ve achieved this in even just one person, I’ve done my job.
“My hope is that everyone ... will ... feel a connection to our place in [the universe] and think a little differently about their lives, actions, and what is important.” -Peter Beck
🌟 North Star Gazer
Why will the Humanity Star blow up ?
ReplyDeleteAs many spacecraft do, to avoid creating debris and accumulating garbage in space, many craft are programmed to fall back to Earth when their mission is complete and they burn up from the impact of the atmosphere. The Humanity Star is programmed to do the same. And thus, we have no 'space trash' to worry about :)
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