Here’s why bright lights have been spotted in the skies over …

If you’ve had your eyes on the skies recently you might have seen something unusual: a line of white lights travelling over Cambridgeshire[1]. The lights have been visible for the past few nights and you’ll be able to spot them over the next few days too, depending on cloud cover.

It’s not a UFO or even a plane. The lights are part of Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by American aerospace company SpaceX – owned by Elon Musk.

The company started launching Starlink satellites in 2019. It reportedly aims to provide a global mobile phone service after 2023.

Footage captured by a CambridgeshireLive reader shows the lights over Cambridge in CB4. Here’s when the satellites will next be visible over the city:

  • October 26 at 6.32pm for five minutes
  • October 27 at 6.41pm for five minutes
  • October 28 at 6.52pm for five minutes

According to findstarlink.com[4], visibility of the satellites should be ‘average’ over the next few days. The site advises hopeful spectators to look from west to east to spot the lights.

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References

  1. ^ Cambridgeshire (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
  2. ^ Housing minister says Cambridge 2040 will help UK ‘punch much higher’ – but that water supply issues need to be resolved (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
  3. ^ ‘I went to try the new Peterborough Wendy’s and there’s one piece of advice I’d offer’ (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)
  4. ^ findstarlink.com (findstarlink.com)
  5. ^ You can also sign up to our dedicated Peterborough, Traffic and Crime newsletters for the latest updates on the topics you are most interested in. (www.cambridge-news.co.uk)