2019-12-01_Astronomy

128,000,000 objects

900,000 objects

3,500 satellites

currently not functioning

in Earth orbit

1,950 satellites

currently functioning

in Earth orbit

0.4–4 in

(1–10 cm) 0.04–0.4 in

(1 mm –1 cm)

34,000 objects

4 in (10 cm)
or larger

WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 15

WATCH FOR

ORBITING DEBRIS

NO TRASH PICKUP. Since the start of the space age in 1957, humans

have placed nearly 9,000 satellites in Earth orbit as of January 2019. Of

these, more than 5,000 are still in orbit and 1,950 are still functioning.

The rest are considered space debris — inert artificial objects orbiting

our planet — and pose a risk for collisions with functioning satellites or

even crewed spacecraft. Based on these numbers and estimates for the

number of events resulting in fragmentation of orbiting objects over time,

the European Space Agency estimates there are nearly 130 million pieces

of debris larger than 0.04 inch (1 mm) in orbit today. — A.K.

600 million

The number of years earlier than previously

believed that Earth began experiencing plate

tectonics, based on analysis of a drop

of ancient seawater.

AS

TR

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Space debris can

travel at speeds up

to 17,500 mph

(28,100 km/h).

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