Went out for an astrophotography session last weekend and watched a perfectly timed meteor shower get butchered by a train of reflective cubes crossing every long exposure. This is not nostalgia; it is real damage to science and culture. Transient surveys, deep imaging for cosmology, and even backyard photometry are being compromised by an industry that treats low Earth orbit like rush-hour billboard space.

We should stop treating this as a PR problem and start treating it like pollution. I propose an International Night Sky Treaty: legally binding limits on satellite reflectivity, orbital corridors to protect major observatory sightlines, caps or auctioned permits for satellite numbers per orbital shell, mandatory deorbit timelines, and enforceable penalties through national licensing, insurance requirements, and spectrum permissions. Incentives could include tax credits for dark coatings and sunshades, fast-track licensing for designs that meet standards, and a tradable “light pollution credit” system so companies can innovate without wrecking the sky.

Yes, latency and global internet access are important, and companies need realistic transition timelines. But we already accept environmental regulations for air and water; why not the sky we all still get to look at? If you care about astronomy, science, or simply seeing the Milky Way without corporate streaks, start demanding this from your representatives and observatories. The clock is ticking and once that commons is gone, you cannot get it back.