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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.