Strange lights appeared over North Texas on Sunday night. Pic credit: via WFAA/YouTube
Residents of North Texas reported unusual lights in the sky on Sunday night.
Many Texans shot videos of the lights moving across the night sky and shared them on social media. People viewed the images and debated what they were.
Some thought they were UFOs, while others guessed they might be the latest of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites launched into Earth orbit.
Viewers who thought they were Starlink satellites turned out right.
SpaceX announced a launch on Sunday
Multiple media outlets settled the social media debate. They reported that SpaceX launched Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Sunday night.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at 5:35 p.m. at the Space Force Station at 5:35 p.m.
The company explained that the launch of 23 Starlink satellites into low orbit on Sunday was the 16th flight for its first-stage booster.
The first-stage booster of the multistaged rocket returned to Earth minutes after launch, leaving the second to transport the satellites to low orbit, WFAA reported.
Starlink satellites sighted in July over North Texas
It was not the first time North Texans sighted “mysterious UFO lights” in the sky that turned out to be Starlink satellites (see video below).
Residents previously reported sighting them in July. Witnesses said the lights were bright, and many believed they were UFOs.
Georgia, NJ residents also mistook Starlinks for UFOs
Paranormal Papers reported in July that Central Georgia residents spotted “strange” lights in the sky. They appeared as a train of lights, and many puzzled observers feared they might be alien UFOs.
The sighting sparked mild panic. Some people called the police, while others tried to alert news outlets to a possible alien invasion.
The excitement subsided after meteorologists assured people they were Starlink satellites.
Later in September, residents of New Jersey became gripped with fear and anxiety after they observed a string of lights passing overhead.
The sightings led to a flurry of social media activity, and UFO enthusiasts stirred the pot with claims that an alien invasion had started.
Once again, meteorologists intervened to calm fears. They directed people to the SpaceX statement about a satellite launch from the Cape Canaveral launch base.
The company announced they launched “22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.”