Elon Musk's Starlink satellites light up night sky
Photographer Tom Packham captured the trail over Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight and described it as "spectacular"
At a glance
A chain of bright lights have been seen in the night sky
The group of dots moving through the sky are SpaceX's Starlink satellites
The satellites appear as small, fast-moving bright lights
They can be spotted in the sky without binoculars or a telescope
- Published
A trail of bright lights have been spotted in the night skies in the south of England.
The lights are not Father Christmas making a trial flight in his sleigh or a new constellation - but Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The chain of lights can bee seen for the rest of the week.
Apps and websites can be used to check when and where to spot the display.
The light trail was spotted by Tracey Toms in Pennington, Hampshire, who said her grandson was "sure it's Santa!"
At sunrise and sunset, the satellites are visible to the naked eye because the sun glints off their wings.
The satellites appear as small, fast-moving bright lights and can be spotted in the sky without binoculars or a telescope.
Here are some more pictures of the spectacle captured in the skies above the region.
Charlie Norman snapped a photo of the satellite trail in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Robin Truswell spotted the satellites on Sunday evening from Calbourne Road in Newport on the Isle of Wight
Laura Evans in Upton, Poole, also photographed the Starlink trail
All pictures subject to copyright.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, external, X, external, or Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk, external.
Related topics
- Published1 December 2022
- Published2 August 2022
