Astronomers Get Ready, Another Artificial Star to Ruin Your Data is Coming. Artist is Planning to Launch a Giant, Unfolding Structure That'll be Bright in the Sky For a Few Months

"Art gives us a reason -- gives us permission -- to look at something deeply. An artwork that pushes the boundaries of what we traditionally think of as "art" challenges the way we engage with the world. Orbital Reflector encourages all of us to look up at the night sky with a renewed sense of wonder, to consider our place in the universe, and to re-imagine how we live together on this planet. It prompts us to ask the big questions. Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What are we doing to the shared world in which we live?"

"In partnership with aerospace engineers and the Nevada Museum of Art, Trevor Paglen will launch Orbital Reflector into low-earth orbit as the world’s first nonutilitarian satellite. This ephemeral artwork will have a life span of several weeks. Paglen aims to make an artistic and aesthetic statement while encouraging dialogue related to larger issues surrounding the interdisciplinary fields of science, engineering, politics, and space."