1,200 Starlink satellites help map Earth's hard-to-observe upper atmosphere

AI Summary

Starlink satellites are being used by researchers to map the Earth's upper atmosphere by estimating thermosphere density. This innovative use of commercial satellite data provides a new method for studying a difficult-to-observe atmospheric region.

Starlink satellites are now helping scientists map Earth's upper atmosphere. Researchers used orbital data from Starlink to estimate thermosphere density. This method creates a two-dimensional map of atmospheric density variations. The findings offer a new way to study this difficult-to-observe region. Commercial satellite data is becoming an unexpected scientific resource.