Starlink Satellite Train is an artificial phenomenon by SpaceX in which 20-50 Starlink satellites align themselves in a straight line, revolving in low-earth orbit, and shine as bright string objects in the sky when seen from Earth at night. Don’t misguide yourself through this phenomenon of UFO sightings because aliens are not taking over.
In this blog post, I will guide you through all the necessary details regarding the Starlink satellite train, including how it formed, its appearance from Earth’s view, how you can track and watch it from your home, and lastly, whether it is safe or not.
Contents
About Starlink Satellite Train
Starlink Satellite is a man-made satellite developed by SpaceX engineers used to provide wireless internet to Starlink dishes. These Starlink satellites are launched by a SpaceX reusable rocket in LEO (Low-Earth Orbit). When one Starlink satellite follows the same orbital path as another one for peer-to-peer protocol and when more than 20 satellites do the same things, looking like the train is moving, then it is termed a Starlink Satellite Train.
Like other space objects, the Starlink satellite train doesn’t emit light on its own. Each satellite looks like a bright dot object due to the reflection of the sun. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and Harward scientist, keeps a record of all deployed Starlink satellites, whether currently active or not.
The first reported evidence with a video of the “bright dot” in the night sky was published by an amateur Dutch astronomer in May 2019. You can watch about 5–6 Starlink satellite trains monthly by tracking them.
Jump to Section: How do you track and watch Starlink Satellite Train?
The Starlink satellite train is different from other artificial spacecrafts because it is the world’s largest satellite constellation today. Having more than 4000 Starlink satellites in orbit, as per Jonathan’s McDowell report. Many people all across the globe reported this sighting of the Starlink satellite train and posted it on social media, which became very popular among the audience.
Video – Source (Marco Langbroek, Leiden, the Netherlands)
Why Starlink Satellites Are In Train Form?
Starlink satellites, when initially launched, revolve around Earth in train structure format due to 3 main reasons;
- To minimize the risk of collision – the Starlink satellite constellation revolves in the same orbit, eccentricity, and inclination, so launching them in train sequence helps the SpaceX engineer to track its motion and align it to the desired orbit or deactivate it without any collision risk.
- To decrease fuel usage – Each Starlink satellite uses Hall-effect thrusters with Krypton to keep itself in orbit, and if it is immediately sent into orbit, then it will use more fuel.
- To decrease the cost – SpaceX rocket launches Starlink satellites in grouped formate simultaneously to decrease the cost of launching because if the missile launches each Starlink satellite in the desired orbit, then it costs much more.
According to Jonathan McDowell, the Starlink train is not a permanent phenomenon because after some months, each Starlink satellite is sent to its desired orbit by SpaceX engineers or to deorbit due to technical reasons.
How Does It Look Like From Earth View?
The above image of the Starlink train was captured by an American citizen at night through his balcony. Viewing this phenomenon for the first time through your naked eye is really a memorable experience.
Well, Starlink competitors Hughesnet and Viasat are also using satellite constellation techniques, but there is still no train-like structure view for those satellites. The reason is that they are using geostationary satellites that orbit at an altitude of 35,785 km from Earth. In contrast, Starlink satellites revolve in the Low Earth Orbit, at an altitude of 550 km, so you can see Starlink satellite train views with the naked eye. At the same time, the telescope is needed to watch satellite constellations for other companies.
How Long Does It Take Starlink Satellite Train to Round The Earth?
According to TS2.space, each Starlink satellite takes around 90 minutes to complete one revolution around Earth. Also, the orbital speed of Starlink satellites is 4.66 miles per second or 7.6 km/s. If the speed becomes less than the speed mentioned above, Earth’s gravity displaces the satellites from their orbit, and they get burned in the atmospheric layer before reaching us.
As per SpaceX reports, it takes around 6 to 8 months for Starlink satellites to reach their desired orbit. After a certain period, certain satellites knowingly fall off from the orbit by the engineers.
How To Track & Watch Starlink Satellite Trains?
After reading the above section of the article, if you also want to experience this phenomenon, then congratulations; there is a definite way through which you can do it. To watch the Starlink Train, you have to track the satellite’s live position. I know you are not a scientist or astronomer to predict the sighting, as most of us are not. So, to track the Starlink satellite, you have to use one popular free application called Heavens-Above.
Heavens-Above is a free application created by Chris Peat, used to track the live location of artificial satellites like ISS or Starlink, which will be passing or passed over your area. You can download it on your devices – available for both Android and IOS.
Below are 6 easy steps through which you can track Starlink satellite tain in the night sky:
- Open the app, and it will ask your location. (Picture #1)
- Tap on the Enter Location option, where you can enter your address and coordinates, or you can allow GPS. (Picture #2)
- Now, navigate to the home section and choose the Search Satellites option. (Picture #3)
- Tap on the Filter option given in the above section and then type Starlink. (Picture #4 & Picture #5)
- Select any Starlink to check its schedule. (Picture #6 & Picture #7)
- Now select the satellite if it will pass over your location today or within some days. (Picture #8)
You can also use the below visuals to successfully track the Starlink satellite train through the app. From 1-6, all steps in visual are given to make your process easy.
You can also set the notification for your selected Starlink satellite, and the app will notify you when the satellite passes over you. In the info section, you will get all the information regarding the Starlink satellite, like its launch date, launch vehicle, launch location, speed, and altitude at which the satellite is moving.
How Often It Appears In The Sky?
Keeping in mind Starlink satellite’s revolution time around Earth, after every 90 minutes, you can watch its train in a place slightly farther from where you reported the previous sightings. If you want to watch it at the exact same spot, then after every 2 hours, you can watch it at night. The best time to watch the Starlink train is soon after its launch date. In October 2023 alone, 176 Starlink satellites were launched by SpaceX. So you can watch this phenomenon from your house by just keeping an eye on Starlink satellite launches and tracking its location.
Is Starlink Satellites Phenomena Safe?
As of October 5, 2023, reports by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), Starlink satellites can risk up to 85% of humans or animals living on the ground and aviation services due to the falling of Starlink satellite debris. Also, from reports, it is expected that by 2035, every 1 person could be killed every two years.
However, as per astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, as of November 18, 2023, a total of 368 Starlink satellites have deorbited, and there is no evidence of reaching the debris in the ground as Starlink satellites burned while reentering the Earth’s atmosphere.
By seeing FAA and McDowell reports, it can be concluded that, Yes Starlink satellite train phenomenon is safe currently, and you can experience it without worrying much about it.
Final Words
So this is all about the Starlink Satellite Train, and I hope that now you have learned about how you can track and watch the Starlink train in the night sky. Though it is not a natural space event, it must be a watchable one. I have provided and compiled all the necessary information to provide you with the best guide on the Starlink satellite train. Also, share your experience with me in a comment below after watching it.