Bright lights in the sky near Vancouver after recent SpaceX launch

Hyunki Shin and his wife were camping in Porteau Cove Provincial Park Saturday night when they saw an unusual sight in the night sky.

Around 10:30 p.m., several bright lights appeared in a line, moving from west to east across the sky.

It wasn't a streak, like a comet or a meteor, but more like a train of lights.

"It was like so many bright (meteors) flying in a row very fast," Shin said, adding that it was an "amazing experience."

Shin was one of several viewers to reach out to CTV News with photos and video of the phenomenon, with some speculating that it was SpaceX's Starlink satellites being deployed. 

Devices launched by the satellite-based internet service have been visible from Vancouver in the past.

In early May 2021, the U.S. National Weather Service in Seattle confirmed that a string of bright lights visible in the sky was related to a recent Starlink launch.

While no such similar confirmation has been issued for Saturday's lights, a post on the SpaceX website indicates the company launched 53 Starlink satellites from Florida on Friday evening. 

An online tracker suggests the company's satellites would've been visible from Vancouver around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. 

Last year, University of British Columbia astronomer Aaron Boley explained the reason for the light show when new satellites are launched. 

“SpaceX launches 60 satellites at a time and they move slowly into their intended location," Boley said at the time.

“As they’re going up, they’re quite low and visible to sky watchers on the ground.”