Early-morning sky can reveal string of satellites sent up there by SpaceX

 

I’m an early riser. Sometimes around 4 a.m. but usually anywhere from 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., a time which gives me a good view of the night sky in addition to enjoying the peace and quiet–a good time to write. Or take an occasional early-morning phone call from some of my more fervent readers.

Just before sunrise a few months ago, I spotted a fast-moving object in the sky. Initially, I thought it was either a jetliner or a military plane. Then I saw another behind it, followed by another and another another. Twenty-one I counted, each following one another along the same route, racing from the northwest horizon to the south. They were reflecting the sun’s rays which made them identifiable.

Couldn’t have been military planes. They moved too fast. But it left me puzzled, adding to the strange scenario already created by the COVID-19 pandemic, right?

A quick inquiry to Wayne Wyrick at the Kirkpatrick Planetarium gave me the answer. They were SpaceX company’s Starlink satellites.

I spotted them again the next morning as they reflected the sun before the sun actually rose over Oklahoma and the night darkness was fleeting.

SpaceX has plans to launch many more of the satellites, thousands more. As the Observer reported in a recent article, the company already has sent up more than 600 Starlink satellites.

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