If you look up in the night sky this evening, you may notice a mysterious trail of lights flying above you.
But before you worry about an impending alien invasion, thankfully there’s a simple explanation for the satellites - they’re SpaceX ’s Starlink satellites!
The satellites are released every two weeks or so, and are designed to deliver high speed broadband internet to remote areas around the world.
SpaceX explained: “With performance that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet, and a global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations, Starlink will deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.”
So far, SpaceX has launched 597 Starlink satellites, but has plans to launch a total of nearly 12,000 satellites into orbit.
While most satellites orbit at a height of around 1,000km above Earth, the Starlink satellites orbit at a lower heigh of around 550km, meaning they're regularly visible.
This week, eagle-eyed Brits will have several opportunities to spot the Starlink satellites themselves.
When can you see Starlink satellites from the UK?
According to Find Starlink, the satellites will be visible at:
3:29 am, 12 Aug 2020
5:04 am, 12 Aug 2020
2:36 am, 13 Aug 2020
4:09 am, 13 Aug 2020
3:15 am, 14 Aug 2020
4:49 am, 14 Aug 2020
3:54 am, 15 Aug 2020
