‘Moving train’ of lights spotted in night sky

By KPTV Staff

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — Stargazers Friday night were surprised to see a cluster of lights streaking through the skies.

This wasn’t an alien invasion. These were 53 Starlink internet satellites launched on Friday by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Jim Todd, OMSI Director of Space Science Education, said in an email that stargazers may have another chance to see the “moving train” of lights on Saturday at 9:44 p.m. at an “altitude of 70 northwest.”

“For best viewing, position yourself in as dark a location as possible, far from any bright lights,” Todd said. “Initially, the satellites were seen to be stretched out in a straight line measuring roughly five to eight degrees in apparent length.”

As the satellites revolve around the earth, they will spread out and may become fainter as they are slowly raised to their operational orbits of 342 miles, Todd said.

Todd suggests scanning the sky with binoculars to catch another glimpse of the satellites.

“A lot depends on just how the angle of reflected sunlight strike the satellites in the hours just after sunset or before sunrise,” he said.

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