DALLASTOWN, Pa. — Videos began to surface this week on social media showing a line of dots floating in the night sky over South Central Pennsylvania. Several FOX43 viewers sent pictures and video asking us about the string of lights.
Despite some online speculation, the lights are not an unidentified flying object (UFO).
“I guess if you want to be pedantic about it, if you look up and you don’t know what it is, it’s a UFO. But is it an alien? No, it’s not an alien. I wish it was, but it’s not,” said Rob Furey, professor of integrative sciences at Harrisburg University.
The lights, which appear as dots in a straight or sometimes curved line, are SpaceX Starlink satellites. The satellites provide internet access to 54 countries, most notably to Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022 destroyed much of Ukraine’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Starlink satellites orbit closer to Earth than traditional geosynchronous satellites. Because the Starlink satellites are closer, they cover less area relative to traditional satellites, so more are needed in order to offer uninterrupted service.
SpaceX has more than 4,000 Starlink satellites currently in orbit, with plans to reach 30,000 satellites.
Because of the large number of satellites needed, Starlink launches up to 50 satellites at a time. The mass launch creates a straight- or curved-line appearance in the sky. The line is visible for a few months until the satellites spread out and reach their final altitude.
“They are initially deployed at about 150 miles up and then they climb up to almost 350 miles, then they’re turned on,” Furey said.
Starlink satellites stand out because of their unique satellite trains, but the sky is full of other visible objects in orbit, such as the International Space Station (ISS) and the James Webb Telescope.
You can use an online Starlink tracker to find when you might see a Starlink satellite train in your area.
New launches are held several times a month in both California and Florida.