The Kuiper Belt vs. the Billionaire Space Race

Event Date:
2026-01-19T16:00:00
2026-01-19T17:00:00
Event Location:
HENN 318
Speaker:
Samantha Lawler, University of Regina
Related Upcoming Events:
Astronomy Colloquia
Intended Audience:
Everyone
Local Contact:

Allison Man (aman@phas.ubc.ca) and Brett Gladman (gladman@astro.ubc.ca)

All are welcome to this event!

Event Information:

 

Abstract:

Canadian-led teams have been using CFHT over the past 5 years to discover new trans-Neptunian Objects on weird orbits.  The high orbital precision LiDO Survey has discovered dozens of resonant TNOs, while the deep CLASSY Survey has discovered fewer distant TNOs than expected.  These TNOs are clues about the formation and evolution of our Solar System, and what might lie beyond Neptune.  

While these surveys have been running, SpaceX has launched over 10,000 satellites for its Starlink megaconstellation, which is impacting astronomy research across the spectrum.  The huge number of current and planned satellites have terrifying implications for atmospheric pollution, ground casualty risks, and the possibility of a runaway collisional cascade in Low Earth Orbit. Come learn why Saskatchewan is such a good satellite pollution detector, and what happens when you find space debris on your farm and silent SpaceX employees show up in a rented U-Haul truck to be greeted by an astronomer and a dozen of Saskatchewan's finest local journalists. Companies have now filed for a million future satellites, including data centres, space mirrors, and sunshades, so we'll end with a discussion of ways you can help fight for regulation and safe use of satellites in orbit.
 

Bio:

I am an Associate Professor of Astronomy at Campion College, and also part of the Department of Physics in the University of Regina, SK, Canada. Previously, I was a Plaskett Fellow at NRC-Herzberg in Victoria, BC, Canada.

I am a dynamical modeler with a strong background in observational astronomy. I study the orbits of planets and how they evolve over time. By studying the orbits of Kuiper Belt objects and carefully taking into account observational biases, we can learn about how the giant planets migrated in the early days of the Solar System. In exoplanet systems, we can use the structure of debris disks (dusty disks around stars made by colliding asteroids) to find exoplanets that would otherwise be invisible.

I'm co-PI of the Classical and Large-a Solar System (CLASSY) Survey on CFHT, attempting to discover some of the smallest and most distant TNOs yet known.

Lately I've spent a lot of time thinking about, modelling, and measuring pollution from satellites in low Earth orbit, which are increasing terrifyingly quickly, changing the night sky worldwide. 

 

Learn More:

Add to Calendar 2026-01-19T16:00:00 2026-01-19T17:00:00 The Kuiper Belt vs. the Billionaire Space Race Event Information:   Abstract: Canadian-led teams have been using CFHT over the past 5 years to discover new trans-Neptunian Objects on weird orbits.  The high orbital precision LiDO Survey has discovered dozens of resonant TNOs, while the deep CLASSY Survey has discovered fewer distant TNOs than expected.  These TNOs are clues about the formation and evolution of our Solar System, and what might lie beyond Neptune.   While these surveys have been running, SpaceX has launched over 10,000 satellites for its Starlink megaconstellation, which is impacting astronomy research across the spectrum.  The huge number of current and planned satellites have terrifying implications for atmospheric pollution, ground casualty risks, and the possibility of a runaway collisional cascade in Low Earth Orbit. Come learn why Saskatchewan is such a good satellite pollution detector, and what happens when you find space debris on your farm and silent SpaceX employees show up in a rented U-Haul truck to be greeted by an astronomer and a dozen of Saskatchewan's finest local journalists. Companies have now filed for a million future satellites, including data centres, space mirrors, and sunshades, so we'll end with a discussion of ways you can help fight for regulation and safe use of satellites in orbit.  Bio: I am an Associate Professor of Astronomy at Campion College, and also part of the Department of Physics in the University of Regina, SK, Canada. Previously, I was a Plaskett Fellow at NRC-Herzberg in Victoria, BC, Canada. I am a dynamical modeler with a strong background in observational astronomy. I study the orbits of planets and how they evolve over time. By studying the orbits of Kuiper Belt objects and carefully taking into account observational biases, we can learn about how the giant planets migrated in the early days of the Solar System. In exoplanet systems, we can use the structure of debris disks (dusty disks around stars made by colliding asteroids) to find exoplanets that would otherwise be invisible. I'm co-PI of the Classical and Large-a Solar System (CLASSY) Survey on CFHT, attempting to discover some of the smallest and most distant TNOs yet known. Lately I've spent a lot of time thinking about, modelling, and measuring pollution from satellites in low Earth orbit, which are increasing terrifyingly quickly, changing the night sky worldwide.    Learn More: About Samantha from her University of Regina faculty page: https://www.uregina.ca/science/physics/directory/faculty/samantha-lawler.html About her research: Sam Lawler About starlink's megaconstellation: Definition from Britannica online: Megaconstellation | Definition, Starlink, Guowang, OneWeb, & Facts | Britannica Article from Science Reader: SpaceX Expands Starlink Megaconstellation with New Launch Article from Live Science: What goes up must come down: How megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink network pose a grave safety threat to us on Earth | Live Science About the Canada France Hawaii telescope: Canada France Hawaii Telescope Event Location: HENN 318