When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches 27 Amazon Leo internet satellites to orbit on Dec. 16, 2025. . | Credit: ULAThe satellites in Amazon’s new internet-beaming megaconstellation in low Earth orbit (LEO) are bright enough to disrupt astronomical research, a study has found.The study — which was posted on the online repository Arxiv on Jan. 12 but has not yet been peer-reviewed — analyzed nearly 2,000 observations of Amazon Leo satellites. It concluded that the spacecraft exceed the brightness limit recommended by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) that aims to ensure harmless coexistence of satellite megaconstellation with astronomical research.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe internet-beaming satellites, orbiting at an altitude of 391 miles (630 kilometers), have an average apparent magnitude of 6.28, which is too dim to be visible to the naked eye, but still bright enough to bother astronomers. In about 25% of observations, the satellites appeared bright enough to be observable without telescopes.”Bright satellites are particularly troublesome for large-scale astronomical surveys being conducted at ground-based observatories such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory,” study lead author Anthony Mallama, an astronomer at the IAU Center for Protection of the Dark And Quiet Sky, told Space.com in an email. “However, they can also interfere with orbiting observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope.”Mallama and his colleagues have previously studied the brightness of other satellite networks, especially SpaceX’s Starlink, which, with around 9,500 satellites, is by far the largest constellation in orbit today. They also observed the giant BlueBird satellite arrays operated by AST SpaceMobile, whose antennas, which cover 690 square feet (64 square meters), make them the brightest artificial objects in the night sky. (And the next-gen BlueBirds are even bigger, with antennas covering nearly 2,400 square feet, or 223 square m).Mallama noted that satellites in the Amazon Leo constellation (which used to be known as Project Kuiper) are significantly dimmer than the BlueBirds and slightly fainter than most Starlink satellites, which orbit at a lower altitude of around 300 miles (480 km). Mallama, however, added that the Starlink constellation benefits from being in Earth’s shadow for most of its orbital time, which makes it less obtrusive.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFuture Amazon Leo satellites are expected to orbit at lower altitudes of around 366 miles (590 km), which will further increase their brightness.John Barentine, an astronomer at the Silverado Hills Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, and a dark sky expert who did not participate in the new study, said that the Amazon Leo satellites appear especially bright during twilight.Amazon began launching its internet constellation in 2025. So far, only 180 satellites have been placed into orbit, but Amazon plans to grow the constellation to more than 3,200 spacecraft.Mallama, however, lauded Amazon for its willingness to engage with astronomers and work on reducing the impact of its satellites on the night skies.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Satellite operators such as Amazon and SpaceX are working with the astronomical community to reduce the brightness of their satellites,” Mallama said. “One method is by making the underside of the spacecraft mirror-like so that sunlight is reflected into space rather than scatte …
