How to catch a rare and brief glimpse of Starlink satellites in Sacramento this week

Hanh Truong
·2 min read

From Earth, it looks like stars trailing in the night sky — one after the other — but it’s not.

In a recent thread on Reddit, a user said they caught a glimpse of what looked like a nighttime air show over the Roseville and Rocklin area on Wednesday night.

It’s Starlink satellites from Elon Musk’s spacecraft company, SpaceX, making a shining appearance over the capital region and much of California.

Orbiting more than 300 miles above Earth, the satellites can be seen without special equipment.

“The satellites can appear as a string of pearls or a ‘train’ of bright lights moving across the night sky,” according to Space.com. “Starlink satellites are easier to see a day or two after their launch and deployment then become progressively harder to spot as they climb to their final orbital height of around 342 miles (550 km).”

Starlink is the first and largest satellite constellation in low Earth orbit, according to its website, and it provides internet strong enough to support streaming, online gaming and video calls.

In October, SpaceX launched 21 more satellites into low orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Central Coast with its Falcon 9 rocket, according to The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. CNET reported that internet service via Starlink is available to 97% of Americans and covers select parts of the UK, Austria, Germany, Portugal and other countries.

A Falcon 9 rocket heads into orbit early Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying 21 Starlink satellites.
A Falcon 9 rocket heads into orbit early Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying 21 Starlink satellites.

However, some concerns follow the satellite. Astronomers and safety experts worry that the bright objects can interfere with observations and potentially cause collisions in Earth’s orbit, according to Space.com.

How to see Starlink satellites

Using the website Find Starlink, people can input their location to find the next viewing. It notes that viewing times are not 100% accurate and can vary by 10 minutes, as the satellite orbits may change. The site says the satellites are only visible for about four minutes.

In the Sacramento area, residents should be able to get a good view of the satellites on the following days:

▪ 5:55 p.m. on Thursday, looking from west to northeast

▪ 5:57 p.m. on Friday, looking from west to northeast

▪ 5:57 p.m. on Saturday, looking from northwest to northeast

▪ 5:56 p.m. on Sunday, looking from northwest to northeast.

The Starlink satellites from Elon Musk’s spacecraft company, SpaceX, streak across the sky over the Sacramento region Thursday.
The Starlink satellites from Elon Musk’s spacecraft company, SpaceX, streak across the sky over the Sacramento region Thursday.

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