Those lights in the sky? Just Starlink, not a Star Destroyer

What may look like an extraterrestrial fly-by or a few stars parading in a conga line is actually just Starlink.

The posts on social media come now and again. On May 4, foe example, it was not an Imperial Fleet, but stargazers and amateur Phoenix astronomers were treated to the sight of the Starlink train.

You may have seen the Starlink train before, slowly cruising across the night sky in a single file line. They look a little otherworldly, as a chain of bright lights in the sky.

The lights you see across the sky inching together in tandem is more than likely Starlink satellites. Often referred to as a train, the faux stars resemble a locomotive chugging through the atmosphere.

Part of the program's launch was even visible throughout Arizona skies in 2022 when 53 satellites were sent into orbit from the Vandenburg Space Force Base in California.

The SpaceX-owned armada had many taking to social media Thursday night sharing their experience of the man-made constellation, believing it to be aliens or maybe even the lights of a Star Destroyer.

What is Starlink?

Starlink is, as described by their website, "the world's first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more."

The satellites are put into low-orbit — around 342 miles or 550 kilometers above the Earth — providing global coverage as well as significantly lower latency.

In March 2022, accommodations were made to help provide internet to the people of Ukraine using Starlink, just days after the start of the Russian invasion.

According to Nasa Spaceflight, the SpaceX developed mega-constellation could grow to as many as 42,000 satellites in orbit but hovers around 3,912 as of April 2023 as reported by Space.com.

Space possibilites: Elon Musk aims to make fast satellite internet with Starlink, but will it be worth it?

How do I know what I am seeing is Starlink?

SpaceX has worked to reduce the strength and brightness of Starlinks lights since they hamper astronomers as well as the Hubble Space Telescope, but the train is still very much visible.

“The way you can tell they are Starlink satellites is they are like a string of pearls, these lights traveling in the same basic orbit, one right after the other,” said Dr. Richard Fienberg, press officer for the American Astronomical Society, to the Associated Press.

For a more hands-on approach, a number of tracking websites exist for those interested to see when they may be able to catch the next train.

• Find Starlink

• Starlink Satellite Map

• Star Walk

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: SpaceX Starlink satellite train in the Arizona sky