SpaceX Starlink satellite train lights up Northwest night sky

People in the Northwest took to social media this weekend to ask what that strange string of lights was in the sky, some believing it could be UAP — unidentified aerial phenomena, as they’re now called.

But it wasn’t aliens. It was a Starlink-55 satellite train that should be visible again tonight and potentially Monday night.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched 53 Starlink satellites Friday from Florida, and dropped them into low-Earth orbit, according to the company.

There’s a website that tracks where Starlink satellites will be visible. They could be seen around 9:44 p.m. Friday and 9:47 p.m. Saturday, for about 4 minutes, in the Portland metro area.

The satellite train should be visible again at 9:49 tonight for about 4 minutes, look west to west, in the Portland metro area. Actual times may vary by 10 minutes, according to the tracker website.

Monday’s visibility is a bit unclear. It was originally listed as “bright” but later changed to “dim.” It’s currently estimated for 9:51 p.m., west to southwest, for about 3 minutes. Check the tracker website for updates.