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If you’ve been looking out the window at night or taking an evening stroll, you may have seen some streaks of bright light illuminating the sky lately.
While the dazzling set of specs may have raised questions about extraterrestrial life, the strange UFO-like flashes are actually satellites of Elon Musk’s Starlink fleet.
Many Britons saw them shine in the sky on Monday night (May 4), and there will be an opportunity to see them again this week.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a satellite constellation that is being built by the American company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk.
The company sends satellites into Earth’s orbit in batches of 60, with the most recent launch in mid-March.
Another batch released on April 22.
So far, the company has deployed more than 300 satellites in space and is working to achieve a network of 12,000, with the goal of improving global Internet coverage.
The satellites appear in a line that crosses the night sky and their current orbital position has made them easier to detect in recent days.
The recently launched satellites have been seen by Brits in Derbyshire, Manchester, London, Leeds and across Europe.
When can I see them?
If you haven’t seen the satellites yet, there will be several more opportunities to see them during the week.
These are the times for the rest of this week:
Tuesday May 5 – 10.01pm. Starlink-3 will be visible in the UK for five minutes, traveling from southwest to east.
At 11.36pm, Starlink-3 will be visible over the UK for six minutes, traveling from west to southeast.
Wednesday May 6 – 10.36pm. Starlink-3 will be visible in the UK for six minutes, traveling from west to southeast.
Thursday, May 7 – 12.12am. Starlink-3 will be visible in the UK for five minutes, traveling from west to southwest.
At 11.12 p.m., Starlink-3 will be visible in the UK for six minutes, traveling from west to southeast.
Friday, May 8 – 10.12pm. Starlink-3 will be visible in the UK for six minutes, traveling from west to east.
At 11:48 pm, Starlink-3 will be visible in the UK for five minutes, traveling from west to south.
The satellites will appear as “trains” of bright lights and can be seen in the sky without a binocular or telescope.
You’ll need a clear sky and as little light around you as possible to see them, so it’s best to avoid looking too hard at the phone screen and turning off the exterior lighting.
How do I track your location?
A number of stargazing apps and websites allow people to track current locations of satellites.
A popular site is Findstarlink.com, where users can see the times of when and where Starlink is likely to be visible below.
Just visit the website and enter your location to find the time that the satellites will be visible in your area.
Alternatively, you can use the free Night Sky app from the Apple store, which helps users find a host of heavenly wonders, or Satellite Tracker, which is also compatible with Android phones.
Why are they so visible?
Many of the satellites that were sent in March appear very bright in the sky, but it is their current orbital position that has made them much easier to detect in recent days.
Their proximity to Earth and their large size, with wide flat panels that reflect light, make them appear much brighter in the sky.
However, SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said the company was “fixing” the brightness of the satellites to make them less visible, saying it was due to the angle of the solar panels on the satellites.
The company is working on an “umbrella” that will help reduce the reflection of satellites on future launches, making them less easy to detect from Earth.
