SEEN OVER WEST SEATTLE: Starlink satellites

9:55 PM: So far we have two reports of that sight in the sky around 9:15 pm. The person who sent the photo described it as “A very long bar moving west to east.” A meteor shower is expected tonight, but not until the early-morning hours. Via Twitter, we’re hearing it might be the Starlink satellites launched earlier today. Checking on that!

10:02 PM: This story from April explains why these satellites would lead to this kind of sighting.

10:35 PM: Thanks to Ben Evans for the video:

He says they might be visible again at 10:54 pm (we’re still looking for the source on that).

11:15 PM: Thanks to the commenters sharing links for satellite tracking!

Fred Simpson May 4, 2021 (10:01 pm)

We saw it as well. In my decades I have never seen anything like it.

Beepee May 4, 2021 (10:10 pm)

Saw it from alki near Pegasus pizza, thought it was a plane with a digital streamer trailing behind it :/

Pessoa May 4, 2021 (10:30 pm)

What appears to be a bar is very likely a “string” of individual Starlink satellites from a Falcon 9 launch earlier today. These satellites are powered by ion thrusters and will gradually separate over the following days.

Colleen Stephens May 4, 2021 (10:42 pm)

I saw this while I was out for a walk. I was able to snap a photo but it didn’t show up when I tried to take video. It looked like a long vertical line of bright white lights slowly moving downward. So cool!

Holden May 4, 2021 (10:52 pm)

Yup saw em too. 9:24PM. Orbit cycle about 91 minutes.

cdine May 4, 2021 (10:53 pm)

You can see the orbits here – one is coming up!
https://satellitemap.space/

Marty2 May 4, 2021 (11:02 pm)

This is a link to track the Starlink satellites:
https://findstarlink.com/#1599;3

Holden May 4, 2021 (11:03 pm)

https://youtube.com/shorts/CZBE-ESYGeY?feature=share
60 satellites

Trickycoolj May 4, 2021 (11:15 pm)

Save us from Comcast Starlink! You’re our only hope!

Insertname May 4, 2021 (11:40 pm)

Hahaha. May the 4th be with you.
- Rick May 5, 2021 (11:07 am)
  
  It was Star Wars day after all.

Brian May 5, 2021 (6:05 am)

Oh cool, now we get localized propaganda for what is essentially pollution and is actively ruining the night sky.

Ron Swanson May 5, 2021 (9:48 am)

“pollution” is a funny way to spell “high speed internet access for underserved rural communities”
Blinkyjoe May 5, 2021 (10:50 am)

“Pollution” is a funny way to spell “greatly increased capabilities and decreased latency for IoT technology and IoT devices that serve to improve the health and welfare of areas of our globe with little to no infrastructure”.
Jort May 5, 2021 (1:17 pm)

The worship of Elon Musk is one of the most bizarre things I’ve seen, but it makes sense. Americans worship their billionaires and viscerally hate the poor. We are a nation that insists we’ll all do better if we just keep punching down. Sad and disappointing.
- Pessoa May 5, 2021 (5:15 pm)
  
  You know what I think, Jort? I suspect that many don’t like attention being diverted from our planet because it robs them of their sense of superiority and importance, much of it derived from pontificating on issues like climate change, etc. etc. Just wild speculation on my part, of course.
- Ron Swanson May 5, 2021 (10:32 pm)
  
  Here we observe a severe case of Elon Derangement Syndrome in the wild.
  
  The subject claims to believe the climate crisis is the largest existential crisis humanity has ever faced, yet scorns the man responsible for proving electrification of the transport sector in the US is not only possible but profitable.
KM May 5, 2021 (1:39 pm)

Brian gets it.
22blades May 7, 2021 (7:29 am)

Absolutely agree. People essentially gazing at an orbital landfill. They just want high speed internet. Space dumping is not my problem. 20 ton, 100 foot uncontrolled Chinese booster stage re-entering today. Still no guess where it will come down. 2013, Chinese debris destroys Russian satellite in a collision. Russian satellite re-enters & spread radioactive debris across northern Canada. Our SpaceLab landed in Australia. Even a fleck of paint can damage a space station window at Mach 10.