Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites soar over Jersey Shore
💫 A streak of mysterious glowing objects flew across the sky Saturday night
💫 The train of light was actually nearly two dozen Starlink satellites
💫 A Starlink tracker website allows you to find out when it will visit next
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS — Heads looked up to the heavens around New Jersey as a bright, solitary streak of light made its way across the sky.
A few years ago, the sight would have had people questioning if aliens were visiting.
These days, more people know about billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system that brings internet to areas of the world that don't have access.
Late Friday night, SpaceX launched 22 satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida to join the thousands of other Starlink satellites in low earth orbit. They traveled across New Jersey's night sky on Saturday around 8:45 p.m.
One couple said to New Jersey 101.5 that they saw a "strange string of lights in the sky" fly over the Atlantic Highland Marina.
Each satellite weighs 573 pounds and is nine feet long and 26 feet wide.
People took to social media to post about the seemingly tiny objects traveling around 1,200 miles above their heads.
"Was at an outdoor wedding last night on the New Jersey shore and we were treated to the rather astonishing display of a cluster of Starlink satellites flying in from over from the western horizon and disappearing as they approached the zenith. Kind of other-wordly," said one X user.
According to findstarlink.com, the satellites were part of the Group 6-16 launch. They were visible overhead for around four minutes depending on visibility.
The website allows people to input a location and get information on recent passes and upcoming possible sightings. It takes a few factors into account to determine whether people could get a good look at Starlink satellites as they pass overhead.
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