Astronomers really hate that bright disco ball satellite secretly launched to space

On Thursday, the rocket company Rocket Lab announced that it had secretly launched the Humanity Star, a satellite in the shape of a reflective sphere that effectively works as a disco ball and could at times become the brightest object in the night sky.

The Humanity Star was launched as a way to unite all who see it under the night sky, according to Rocket Lab.

"The Humanity Star is intended to serve as a focal point for humanity as every single person on Earth will have the opportunity to see and experience it," Rocket Lab said in a statement.

But certain people on Earth aren't exactly pleased.

Just after Rocket Lab announced the surprise launch of the satellite, many astronomers tweeted their annoyance that the New Zealand-based company would build and launch this bright object.

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"Looking up at the Moon and the planets in the night sky invokes similar feelings of wonder - why do we need this artificial disco ball in orbit?" planetary scientist Meg Schwamb said in a tweet.

The Humanity Star isn't expected to stay in orbit for very long, and it won't be visible everywhere.

The quickly spinning satellite will orbit the Earth every 90 minutes and its orbit should decay in about 9 months, forcing the Humanity Star to harmlessly burn up in the atmosphere. That said, it could create a bit of a headache for astronomers trying to peer deeply out into the cosmos during the time that it's in orbit.

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David Kipping, an astronomer who hunts for planets outside of our solar system, made the point that the satellite could create some serious problems if he's trying to catch sight of one of those elusive planets as the Humanity Star flies through his field of view.

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The intention behind the Humanity Star, however, is certainly something most astronomers can likely understand.

"I know many astronomers are upset at this unnecessary object that will cause light pollution, although again we don't know orbit or brightness yet so we don't know how bad it will be," astrophysicist JJ Eldridge said via Twitter message.

"But I can also kinda see that maybe we do need something like this with so much negativity in the world at the moment."

Rocket Lab, for its part, has been replying to some negative tweets and attempting to clarify just how much of a distraction the Humanity Star will be for those studying the universe.

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"The Humanity Star will briefly flash across the sky for a few seconds, reflecting sunlight back to the Earth’s surface, creating a fleeting glint of light," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in a statement via email.

"It is designed to be a brief moment of just a few seconds."

The Humanity Star was launched to space during a test flight of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket over the weekend.

Update: This story was updated to include a statement from Rocket Lab.