In the last year and a half, a little under a quarter of a million readers came to this site seeking answers to the question, ‘What is that strange line of lights in the night sky?’
The answer in almost every case is Elon Musk’s Space X Starlink satellites. But for many people, the first glimpse they catch of the mysterious line of lights drives them to profanity and a belief they are seeing something alien. Check out this YouTube from two first time North Coast viewers of the phenomenon as they captured it on video last night.
Contains strong language. [Video from a startled reader]
However, the lights are satellites which make up a small part of Elon Musk’s dream to provide fast and relatively cheap internet access to underserved and often rural areas. SpaceX has sent out almost 1500 low-flying satellites and over 40,000 are planned for launch in the next few decades.
“The way you can tell they are Starlink satellites is they are like a string of pearls, these lights travelling in the same basic orbit, one right after the other,” said Dr. Richard Fienberg, press officer for the American Astronomical Society in a news story from ABC Los Angeles earlier this month.
Sunlight hitting the reflective sides of these satellites makes them most visible at dawn and dusk.
Astronomers who are concerned about the satellites affecting their ability to view the night sky have been kicking up a fuss without much success in bringing the project to a halt though. The International Astronomical Union urged,
The organization, in general, embraces the principle of a dark and radio-quiet sky as not only essential to advancing our understanding of the Universe of which we are a part, but also as a resource for all humanity and for the protection of nocturnal wildlife
Want to see what the fuss is about for yourself? Try clicking here for suggested viewing times in your area. Try clicking here to see where in the world they are located now.
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May 23, 2021 at 03:15PM
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Did You See the Strange Line of Lights Marching Across the Sky? – Redheaded Blackbelt - Redheaded Blackbelt
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