Telescope Ranchers

(kottke.org)

37 points | by bookofjoe 3 days ago

5 comments

  • elictronic 21 minutes ago

    Colter Mccorkindale’s comment is the best part.

    “Sooo....the stars at night really are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas?”

    • solomonneas 44 minutes ago

      I would never have thought of this, but it is really cool. Living in the city with light pollution, we can see a dozen or so on the best nights.

      What an ingenious business idea.

      • jmward01 56 minutes ago

        We need more of this. Thanks for making the world more awesome!

        • genpfault 1 hour ago

          Not, in fact, optical interferometry :(

          • ck2 1 hour ago

            sadly won't be possible for anything serious next decade as each space trillionaire and country launches their own 10,000+ constellations

            sky will be constantly twinkling, will be weird

            we'll have to switch to space telescopes above LEO

            https://satellitemap.space

            • Retric 16 minutes ago

              You misunderstand the issue.

              Satellites don’t include light sources and there’s nothing to illuminate them when in earth’s shadow. In order to interfere with light based astronomy they need to be outside of earths shadow and someone needs to be actively taking a picture of that chunk of sky. As these satellites orbit eye close to earth almost the entire sky is clear near midnight.

              • zippyman55 56 minutes ago

                I’m seeking funding to open up a rail gun ranch where you can sit in your lawn chair and blow satellites out of the sky.

                • tedd4u 54 minutes ago

                  Probably legal in Texas? If it's directly over "your land?"

                  • dylan604 17 minutes ago

                    If your application says it is meant to hunt feral hogs, then they will allow it.

                • adrianN 48 minutes ago

                  Kessler‘s farm?

                  • ck2 50 minutes ago

                    I'm thinking of "space roombas" that glide around and bump all the sats in LEO into the atmosphere like a game of pool

                    Only problem is they are toxic as they burn up and create a lot of pollution

                    * https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-space-orbit-satellit...

                    (too bad gravity is impossible to overcome cheaply or do the opposite and yeet into sun)