--- title: "People Keep Mistaking SpaceX’s Satellites for Alien Spacecraft" description: "Sightings of \"strange lights\" in the Montana night sky turned out to be SpaceX's Starlink satellites and not UFOs like locals thought." date: "2019-12-27" modified: "2019-12-27" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starlink-satellites-ufos" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "SpaceX" - "starlink" - "the digest" - "ufos" --- # People Keep Mistaking SpaceX’s Satellites for Alien Spacecraft ![Sightings of "strange lights" in the Montana night sky turned out to be SpaceX's Starlink satellites and not UFOs like locals thought.]() *\Image: Jen Golbeck\* ## UFO Train in the Sky Locals in several small towns in Montana recently [reported]() sightings of "strange lights" in the night sky to news outlets, prompting local authorities to have to explain that the lights were satellites launched by space company SpaceX — and not UFOs visiting Earth, as [*Gizmodo* reports](). So far, SpaceX has launched [120 satellites]() as part of its broadband-internet-beaming Starlink constellation, and it plans to add many thousands more in the near future. Since they're orbiting the Earth at a relatively low altitude, the satellites can often be seen with the naked eye, and this isn't the first time people have mistaken them for alien spacecraft. In May, some [people in the Netherlands]() thought the satellites were UFOs. ## Trails of Light The Starlink satellites are also extremely visible to astronomical instruments back on Earth. They've already affected astronomical efforts, causing [bright streaks of light]() to show up in wide-field surveys of the night sky. SpaceX has responded to astronomers' concerns by [announcing]() that it will coat one of the satellites due to launch in the coming weeks with a non-reflective paint as a test to see if it reduces the amount of light the object reflects. But even that might not make the satellites invisible to the most sensitive of astronomical instruments, as [*The New York Times* reported]() last month. **READ MORE:** [Starlink Satellites Produce Wave of UFO Sightings in the US]() \[*Gizmodo*\] **More on Starlink:** *[SpaceX: We’re Working to Fix Sky-Killing Starlink Satellites]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()