# What the HELL did I just see in the night sky tonight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486 "2023-09-02T02:19:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/1 "2023-09-02T02:19:58Z")
Sitting in the hot tub with my wife, circa 9 PM central time, I suddenly looked up at the sky, and saw the _strangest_ thing: A whole long **straight** line of tiny pinpoint white lights, moving together from west to east, separated by somewhat equal distances from each other. They moved moderately swiftly across the sky, like a fast jet would do. Every point seemed to move at the same speed. The line covered perhaps a quarter or more of the sky, and as they moved east towards the rising full moon, they seemed to fade out or get obscured to invisibility by the moonlight. Trees also interfered with us seeing a portion of their journey. There were at least 15 separate points of light in this straight string, possibly more. No flickering, no red lights indicating aircraft, no sparks or fragments given off, no noise I could here (the Mrs. thought she might have heard an engine noise, though Lake Michigan was rough enough to drown out a lot). The whole phenomenon lasted maybe 20-30 seconds. Maybe a few more. I saw it at 43.6 latitude, -87.8 longitude. I’ve seen lots of shooting stars in the past, along with satellites, the ISS, iridium satellite flares, northern lights, and I’ve seen all the planets visible to the naked eye in the past, and have a 6 inch telescope which I’ve used to observe Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings etc. I even studied astronomy at Johns Hopkins decades ago under a professor who built instruments for the Hubble. But I’ve never seen **ANYTHING** like this before. WTF?? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/2 "2023-09-02T02:21:31Z")
My guess is you saw a string of Elon Musk’s Starlink LEO satellites. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/3 "2023-09-02T02:25:34Z")
Hmm, makes sense. I’ve seen articles about them which included pics of them in the night sky before, but they just showed long streaks of light in the pics, not pinpoints. But I suppose that’s from longer exposure pics. Thanks! [![](https://i.postimg.cc/fbsdTS1x/starlinkssat.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/fbsdTS1x/starlinkssat.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/4 "2023-09-02T02:28:21Z")
I saw them too about 30 minutes ago in the Lansing, MI area. Looked them up and yes, it’s a Space-X satellite train. I am an astronomy hobbyist and have not seen anything like that before. Space-X is deploying more and more of them, which is not really welcome news to astronomers as they interfere with observing ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/5 "2023-09-02T02:31:46Z")
I found a video of 'em, this is what I saw tonight [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pgysWWwESfU/maxresdefault.jpg "STARLINK satellites train seen from earth - SpaceX Elon Musk") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgysWWwESfU) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/6 "2023-09-02T02:31:55Z")
I knew what the answer would be before opening the thread. These are kind of a little bit _super_ well-known by now… ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/7 "2023-09-02T02:33:25Z")
Exactly what I saw also. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/8 "2023-09-02T02:33:29Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > These are kind of a little bit _super_ well-known by now… I knew of them, but never saw vids nor saw them in person. I never thought they would appear so close together, I figured one would go by in the sky, followed by another in a minute or two. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/9 "2023-09-02T02:37:04Z")
They’re quite freaky when you first spot them. I’m not surprised you didn’t clock what they were at first. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/10 "2023-09-02T02:38:55Z")
If you want to see them again > **[SpaceX Starlink Satellites Tracker](https://findstarlink.com/)** > > Calculate when you can see the SpaceX Starlink satellites above your location (I haven’t actually tried this yet.) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/11 "2023-09-02T02:58:57Z")
Nah. It was aliens. 👽 (Oops, sorry didn’t notice this was factual questions) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/12 "2023-09-02T03:02:30Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > didn’t notice this was factual questions Well, it’s been pretty definitively answered, so we’re allowed to descend (ascend?) into hilarity and tomfoolery and such now. And you might be factually correct. I don’t think we’ve ever proven that Elon Musk is entirely human. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/13 "2023-09-02T03:21:38Z")
Just for the heck of it, there’s another explanation that fits the OP description: a meteor will sometimes disintegrate on entry into the atmosphere and the fragments separate but are still on the same trajectory, so they appear in the sky as a sort of visual morse code of dots and flashes. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/14 "2023-09-02T04:54:50Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I don’t think we’ve ever proven that Elon Musk is entirely human. Indeed. My theory is that he got accidentally marooned here, and the entire SpaceX gig is a way of getting back off the Earth to rendezvous with his mother ship that is currently orbiting Mars. Even better, the physical Elon we see is a robot, and the real Elon lives inside the Starhopper which is full of liquid methane replicating his home planet. This explains why Starhopper has all the external sensors and connectivity and still sits in pride of place down in Boca Chica. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/15 "2023-09-02T14:26:40Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > Exactly what I saw also. Were you looking to see them last night? I was just lazing in the hot tub checking out the moonrise and constellations when they appeared. It’s nice to know I still have the capacity to be amazed. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/16 "2023-09-02T15:03:26Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Just for the heck of it, there’s another explanation that fits the OP description: If it was Christmas Eve, there’d be one more explanation. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/17 "2023-09-02T15:10:34Z")
A piece of advice: If you’re going to use the Starlink website to look for the satellite train, you’ll want to do it on a clear night (obviously) and pay attention to the **maximum elevation** indicated on the website. It will vary with each passing and must be 45 degrees or more. If it’s any lower, you probably won’t see anything. That’s been my experience with the ISS tracking website; YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/18 "2023-09-02T15:11:01Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > If it was Christmas Eve, there’d be one more explanation. 😉 That explanation did actually cross my mind. ¯\_(⊙\_ʖ⊙)\_/¯ ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/19 "2023-09-02T15:21:45Z")
**Things not to do:** #232- Don’t get abducted by aliens while nekkid in a hot tub. (Altho’ it could save on cleaning costs, that slime in the alien craft is probably hard to remove) ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486/20 "2023-09-02T17:21:33Z")
Not specifically looking, no. Just took the dog outside to do his nightly business, looked up and had the same reaction as you: the heck??? I figured it was Starlink but pulled out the smartphone to check. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-did-i-just-see-in-the-night-sky-tonight/989486.md?page=2)