You still have time to vote.
Over 60% of eligible voters in Brevard had already cast their ballots before polls opened this morning. Over 89,000 voted by mail, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Over 178,000 voted early along the Space Coast, with more than twice as many Republicans as Democrats. You still have time to cast your ballot. Polls in Brevard are open until 7PM tonight.
Astronomers urge a halt to satellite launches.
As SpaceX continues to launch Starlink satellites from the Space Coast, over 100 astronomers from leading U.S. universities called for an assessment of potential impacts of satellite megaconstellations like Starlink on Earth's environment. The researchers urge the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which approves satellite deployments in the U.S., to halt launches and conduct a thorough assessment of their possible environmental impacts. While just a few hundred satellites orbited Earth in 1986, the number has risen to nearly 10,000 today, and that’s expected to increase ten times in the next decade. This trend is driven mostly by the satellite megaconstellations, such as SpaceX's Starlink. Outdated spacecraft are sent into Earth's atmosphere to burn up at the end of their mission. It’s the potential harmful effects of this satellite incineration that concerns the researchers. In addition to that, the growing number of satellites in orbit disrupts astronomical observations, creating unwanted streaks in telescope images.
Meanwhile, SpaceX completed its 400th successful Falcon launch on Monday, sending cargo to the International Space Station. The Dragon cargo capsule autonomously docked with the ISS this morning.
Rafael on a path to Gulf of Mexico.
While seeing a hurricane storm track in November can be alarming, the risks of damaging wind or storm surge along Florida’s Gulf coast remain low. Enhanced rain chances should be Rafael’s only impact on Florida. Meteorologist Megan Borowski of the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network is tracking the storm for us:
Rafael will likely track west of the Keys on Thursday before entering the Gulf of Mexico and approaching the Central Gulf Coast later this week. Residents of the Keys can expect tropical storm force winds to arrive to their area during the day Wednesday. In addition to those winds, squalls of strong thunderstorms and between 2 and 3 inches of rain are expected over the Keys Tuesday into Wednesday. Thankfully, Florida’s peninsula remains out of Rafael’s path, but winds will become breezy and there will be an uptick in rain chances over the region Wednesday through the end of the week.
Megan says that Rafael will likely approach the Central Gulf Coast late this weekend or early next week. She says that conditions over the central and northern Gulf of Mexico are inhospitable for a tropical system, and Rafael will likely be weakening as it approaches landfall with the Central Gulf Coast.
Will people leave Florida after hurricanes?
Will hurricanes encourage Floridians to leave the state? History suggests not. Up and down Florida’s storm-battered Gulf Coast, residents are deciding whether they should stay or go. Can they afford to rebuild? What will insurance cover? People considering moving to Florida are contemplating whether it’s worth the risk to come to a hurricane-prone state. These questions are coming up after a busy hurricane season. If moves into the state offer any answer, then hurricanes have served little as deterrents. Florida’s population has grown by one-third to 23 million residents in the two decades since Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan ravaged the state in 2004. On the other hand, there are signs that Florida’s real estate market has cooled. Sales of single-family homes were down 12% in September. But interest rates, rising home prices and skyrocketing insurance costs likely played bigger roles than the recent hurricanes.
