The high optical brightness of the BlueWalker 3 satellite

Large constellations of bright artificial satellites in low Earth orbit pose significant challenges to ground-based astronomy ¹. Current orbiting constellation satellites have brightnesses between apparent magnitudes 4 and 6, whereas in the near-infrared Ks band, they can reach magnitude 2 (ref. ²). Satellite operators,...

The art of scholarly reviewing: Principles and practices

The quality and reputation of an academic journal can depend on several factors, but high-quality peer reviews are always a core requirement. Unfortunately, reviews are not always up to the standard that they should be. Poor reviews can result in a number of problems including sub-standard articles being accepted and good manuscripts being...