Amid growing concern and intrigue over aerial objects shot down over Canada and the U.S., skywatchers are on heightened alert. But unusual sightings in the sky reported over the last several days may have a more simple explanation, says Suresh Sivanandam, professor of astronomy at the University of Toronto.
As information continues to emerge about a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and three unidentified flying objects shot down by U.S. aircraft, CTVNews.ca has received several photos and videos of flashing lines of light taken by readers in Ontario. Residents of northeast Ohio also recently reported some unsettling light activity in their skies.
However, Sivanandam said these lights are actually satellites -- more specifically Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite internet service, Starlink satellites. Since 2019, SpaceX has launched roughly more than 3,500 operational satellites across 48 countries and just launched 55 new satellites last Sunday from its Falcon 9 rocket in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
"If I didn't know that these are Starlink satellites, it would look like unidentified flying objects, which they are to most people," Sivanadam told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Monday.
These satellites can appear like a straight line of light or dots of lights in a straight line, but they don't emit lights themselves. They only appear this way because they reflect light from the sun. They can also move quickly which is why they might be confused with meteorites, Sivanandam explained. Satellites are also low in orbit, meaning they are closer to Earth and visible to the naked eye, roughly at an altitude of 2,000 km or less from Earth.
Since SpaceX launches 50 to 60 of its satellites at a time, Sivanandam said they can appear to be clusters in the night sky at first but over time they'll begin to drift apart to reach a better connection to their targeted region. This explains why some people might see more of them in a certain area, giving skywatchers what seems like a light show, typically during the twilight hour.
"This is a special case because they were just launched and it takes some time for them to move apart and spread out from each other," he said.
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS AMID SPECULATION
According to the Starlink map, several regions in Canada already have operational satellites. When zooming in on the map, Southern Ontario is among the regions expecting expansion of the satellites this year, matching recent reports out of Windsor, Ont., about a string of lights in the sky.
While Sivanandam said he's impressed some skywatchers were able to get photos and videos of the satellites, he emphasized the importance of finding answers before speculating on any UFO sightings.
"People speculate if they don't know what it is, so it's good to educate people on what these phenomena are," he said.
As of Monday, the U.S. shot down three unidentified objects, one of which was described as 'cylindrical' and taken down in co-ordination with Canada as it flew over Yukon.
"I'm a bit puzzled by these unknown unidentified objects that governments are shooting down and there's very little information on them," Sivanandam said.
With files from CTVNews.ca Tom Yum and Michael Lee
