On the night of June 12th, I went for my usual 11-kilometer run in Seville, taking advantage of the fact that the heatwave hadn’t arrived yet and we weren’t suffocating (literally, as we’ve had nights with temperatures reaching 40°C).
What would have been just another night of running while listening to my favorite songs turned into an incredible moment that I quickly shared with all my friends.
As I looked up, I clearly saw a group of bright dots in the sky forming a straight line and moving in unison, getting further away from me. Yes, the first thing that comes to mind in these moments is that they are UFOs and that aliens are up to something.
But after showing the photo I took of the moment to some acquaintances (I did my best, I swear), all my doubts were cleared up.
This line of bright dots in the night sky was actually satellites. Yes, satellites, you read that right. Specifically, they were Starlink satellites from SpaceX. In addition to conducting rocket tests, Elon Musk‘s aerospace company also launches batches of Starlink satellites into space every few days using their Falcon 9 rockets.
And it just so happened that on that very day, June 12th, SpaceX deployed 52 of these satellites into orbit, and I was there to witness it.
The goal of SpaceX with the Starlink satellites is no small feat, indeed: to provide internet access worldwide, even in remote areas with limited infrastructure.
To achieve this, Musk’s company plans to deploy over 10,000 satellites in the coming years (with over 4,000 already in orbit by the end of this month), which communicate with the nearest ground stations.
Knowing that Starlink satellites began to be launched into orbit in 2019, it’s no surprise that many people haven’t seen these bright lines in the night sky.
If you want to know the current location of Starlink satellites and check if you’re near any of them, you can visit this website. Additionally, on the SpaceX website, you can find information about upcoming satellite launches.
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