Those bright lights in Southwest Florida sky on Sunday? That was a Starlink satellite train

Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read

A string of lights glowing high above in the Southwest Florida sky on Sunday around 9:45 p.m. had people buzzing on social media.

Imaginations can run wild when something like this occurs and cannot be easily explained.

Well, in this case, the light show was easily explained.

According to Space.com, the fleet of Starlink satellites orbiting Earth that provide internet coverage around the globe, are visible. You just need to know where and when to look. Sunday provided one of those viewing opportunities for Southwest Florida, in particular if you were looking in the direction from northeast to the east.

Starlink satellite train: What to know

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL Friday, May 19, 2023. The rocket is carrying 22 Starlink satellites. Mandatory Credit: Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL Friday, May 19, 2023. The rocket is carrying 22 Starlink satellites. Mandatory Credit: Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

According to Space.com:

  • Appearing as a string of bright lights in the sky, Starlink trains can look rather "otherwordly" and have prompted numerous UFO-sighting reports when they first took to the skies.

  • But the long lines of lights are only visible shortly after launch. Once the satellites climb to their operating altitude of 340 miles (550 kilometers) they disperse and are far more difficult to differentiate against the backdrop of stars, though a timelapse photograph will pick them out easier.

  • As of April 2023, there are 3,912 Starlink satellites in orbit, of which 3,866 are operational according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who tracks the constellation on his website.

  • The megaconstellation developed by the private spaceflight company SpaceX may grow to as many as 42,000 satellites in orbit.

  • Given the high numbers of regular Starlink launches (sometimes multiple times a week), there is ample opportunity to set your sights on catching a glimpse of the infamous "Starlink train".

More: Things to do this weekend: best places to star gaze

How to see a Starlink satellite train

To find out when you can see a Starlink satellite near you, check out this Starlink locator website that details when and where to look for your next Starlink viewing opportunity.

If you want to see where all of the Starlink satellites are located in real-time this Starlink map shows the global coverage of each Starlink satellite as well as information on how many are currently in service, inactive or have burned up in Earth's atmosphere.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Starlink Satellite Train visible in sky above cape coral florida