BRDF-Based Photometric Modeling of LEO Constellation Satellite from Massive Observations

Modeling the brightness of satellites in large Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations can not only assist the astronomical community in assessing the impact of reflected light from satellites, optimizing observing schedules and guiding data processing, but also motivate satellite operators to improve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Universe (Basel) 2024-05, Vol.10 (5), p.215
Main Author: Lu, Yao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Analysis
Artificial satellites
BRDF
Data processing
Distribution (Probability theory)
Earth orbits
earthshine
Geometry
Light
Light pollution
photometric models
Reflectance
Satellite communications services industry
Satellites
Starlink
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Summary:Modeling the brightness of satellites in large Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations can not only assist the astronomical community in assessing the impact of reflected light from satellites, optimizing observing schedules and guiding data processing, but also motivate satellite operators to improve their satellite designs, thus facilitating cooperation and consensus among different stakeholders. This work presents a photometric model of the Starlink satellites based on the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) using millions of photometric observations. To enhance model accuracy and computational efficiency, data filtering and reduction are employed, and chassis blocking on the solar array and the earthshine effect are taken into account. The assumptions of the model are also validated by showing that the satellite attitude is as expected, the solar array is nearly perpendicular to the chassis, and both the solar array pseudo-specular reflection and the chassis earthshine should be included in the model. The reflectance characteristics of the satellites and the apparent magnitude distributions over station are finally discussed based on the photometric predictions from the model. In addition to assessing the light pollution and guiding the development of response measures, accurate photometric models of satellites can also play an important role in areas such as space situational awareness.
ISSN:2218-1997
2218-1997
DOI:10.3390/universe10050215