BUFFALO, N.Y. — Every now and then, a string of lights can be seen in the Western New York sky.
They're not UFOs. They're also not constellations, though they are a constellation of sorts.
What you're probably seeing is Starlink, which is a chain of satellites that reside in low-Earth orbit in outer space. The satellite constellation was launched into orbit in 2019 by SpaceX and provides worldwide, broadband internet services.
The Starlink "satellite train" is visible when you combine clear skies with the right conditions.
You can track Starlink here: https://findstarlink.com/
Dr. John Crassidis, a University at Buffalo professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, discussed the Starlink chain with 2 On Year Side back in February. His research with students, which focuses on tracking satellites and debris in earth orbit, is funded in part by a $5 million U.S. Air Force grant.
"Starlink didn’t surprise me at all." he said. "There are a lot of satellites out there, right? So you can see a pattern of them in the night sky. So some people might see it and say, 'Well, there’s a formation of balloons flying by.' But it was just Starlink. So I’m not surprised by that at all. You’re going to see a lot more of that as we get more of those launches too.”
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