The Clarke Belt: Our Cosmic Web

The Clarke Belt: Our Cosmic Web

Above us, at an altitude of nearly 36,000 km, lies a ring of thousands of communication, radio, television, and internet satellites, whose services we use daily. This ring is known as the Clarke Belt, named after scientist and writer Arthur C. Clarke, who envisioned this belt in 1945 — long before any satellite even existed!

It is precisely this space "highway" that we see in the center of this image. But what is that "spider web" of light?

These are flares (reflections of sunlight) off the solar panels of these geostationary satellites. Because they are "locked" to Earth's rotation, they appear to stay in the same spot in the sky. Over several hours, their slight orbital oscillations and successive bright flashes drew this mesmerizing web.

💡 The paradox: In a single image, we can see the Earth rotating (through the stars) and, at the same time, the proof that technological objects are "standing still" in the sky, locked to our planet's rotation. A true choreography between celestial mechanics and human engineering.

This phenomenon is only observable in areas of low light pollution, as the flares manifest very close to the horizon.

- Camera SONY A7III
- Lens Tamron 28-75 @28mm
- ISO800
- 120 Shots - 30"
- Camera azimuth 300º

- Images stacked and blended in PS
- Final Image cropped to highlight the Clarke Belt