Estonia's 'UFO' sightings turn out to be Starlink satellite trains
Mysterious lights recently reported over Estonia's night sky, some mistaken for UFOs or shooting stars, are actually newly launched SpaceX Starlink satellites, Tartu Postimees reports.
Residents in Estonia have recently reported spotting strange lights moving across the night sky, with some describing them as UFOs or shooting stars. According to Tartu Postimees, these sightings are in fact linked to SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet network.
Why the satellites appear in a line
Shortly after launch, new Starlink satellites travel closely bunched together, forming what looks like a line or 'string of pearls' of moving lights. Once the satellites reach their intended operating altitude, they spread apart and become ordinary, relatively faint points of light in the sky.
The Starlink network currently includes close to 10,000 satellites orbiting at a relatively low altitude of 300 to 500 kilometers. Beyond these, GPS and other satellites orbit much farther from Earth. New Starlink satellites are launched frequently, at least twice a week.
People interested in watching for these satellite trains can use tracking apps, such as Satellite Tracker, to find out when one will next be visible from their location.
Starlink is a project of SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, aimed at providing high-speed internet access worldwide, including in remote areas, crisis zones and other places lacking cable internet, through a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit.
