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Starlink train tonight: when and where to see it
A string of lights gliding silently across the sky, one behind the other: that is a Starlink train, a fresh batch of SpaceX satellites. It is only bright for a few days after each launch, at dusk or dawn.
Over your town
Checking the latest Starlink launches…
Only batches launched in the last few days are checked, since after that they spread out and fade. Orbits from CelesTrak, worked out in your browser.
Why only after a launch
A Falcon 9 rocket releases 20 to 30 Starlink satellites together, about 300 km up. For the first days they fly in a tight line and their solar panels catch the sunlight, which makes them easy to see. Then they climb to their working orbits, around 480 to 550 km up, spread out, and turn so they reflect far less light.
How to see one
- Look in the hour or two after sunset or before sunrise. In the middle of the night the satellites are in Earth’s shadow.
- Watch the direction the pass rises from. The train appears as a line of steady lights, without blinking, all moving the same way.
- Later satellites in the line can fade one after another as they enter Earth’s shadow.
The space station is the brightest thing that crosses the sky: see when the ISS is visible tonight.