Starlink satellites light up West Texas sky, here’s how you can catch the next sighting

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- West Texans were looking to the skies Saturday night, and many were left wondering: what was that?

Around 9:25 p.m. on April 12, a line of bright lights appeared over the Odessa and Midland sky, sparking a wave of social media posts, photos, and videos.

It wasn’t a UFO. It wasn’t a meteor shower. It was a newly launched batch of Starlink satellites, part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite internet project.

What is Starlink?

Starlink is a satellite internet service designed to provide high-speed internet access in rural and remote areas, including right here in West Texas.

Unlike traditional satellite systems, Starlink uses thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit, allowing for faster speeds and lower lag time. The company has already launched more than 5,000 satellites and continues to add more with frequent rocket launches.

The satellites often appear as a “train” of bright, moving dots in the sky shortly after launch, before they eventually spread out into their positions.

Saturday’s Sighting Over West Texas

At 8:53 p.m. EDT on April 12, SpaceX launched the Starlink Group 12-17 mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission deployed 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, into low Earth orbit.

According to satellite tracking data, the satellites were visible for about four minutes, moving from the western horizon toward the south, reaching an elevation of up to 43 degrees in the sky.

That bright, glowing object with a translucent, expanding cloud or halo around it is a signature visual of a rocket’s exhaust plume high in the atmosphere, especially around dusk or nighttime. The sunlight reflects off the gases in the upper atmosphere, creating that glowing, bubble-like effect.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are often launched in large groups aboard Falcon 9 rockets, and after the initial launch, the exhaust gases can create this kind of dramatic visual in the sky, especially if seen from hundreds of miles away.

How to Track Future Starlink Passes

If you missed Saturday night’s show or want to catch the next one, there are tools available to help you track upcoming Starlink passes over your area.

Visit FindStarlink.com to see a real-time schedule of when Starlink satellites will be visible over Odessa, Midland, and the surrounding region.

There’s also a Starlink Tracker app available in the App Store for iPhone users and on Google Play for Android devices. The app provides notifications, directions, and visibility information based on your location.

For more information on Starlink, visit: https://www.starlink.com