The lights above Levittown.
Late Saturday evening, residents across the region observed a peculiar-looking string of lights streaking across the sky
The lights sparked speculation and social media buzz about the possibility of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the skies above. One reader was concerned whether there were any reports of an alien invasion.
LevittownNow.com, NewtownPANow.com, NorthPennNow.com and NewHopeFreePress.com received numerous reports from intrigued readers. Eyewitnesses shared videos on social media capturing a straight line of white lights moving across the sky.
However, the hopes of some for extraterrestrial encounters were swiftly dashed.
The lights were identified as Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink satellites, which each weigh approximately 570 pounds. The satellites were in transit over the area following their launch late Friday night from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Earlier this month, there were reports on community Facebook groups about Starlink satellites traveling over the area in a train-like fashion. Starlink satellites support a service that provides worldwide, high-speed wireless internet access.
The company said on their website that Starlink coverage is available in more than 60 countries and more than 5,000 individual satellites have been launched by the company into low earth orbit.
The lights that were seen from the ground on Saturday evening were from the setting sun’s rays reflecting off the satellites solar panels as they moved above. A similar situation can happen when the International Space Station and other satellites fly over the area.
There has been criticism that Starlink and other companies filling the Earth’s orbit with satellites can interfere with the viewing of the stars.
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