Satellites seen from Israel
(Hadas Dromer)
Stargazers in Israel had a treat on Thursday when they looked up to the night sky and saw a string of lights crossing overhead.
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Those were some 56 SpaceX Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral earlier making their way to the heavens. The company promises dozens more will join them in the sky soon and their transmissions will be seen on their website.
Satellites at such a distance are not usually seen so clearly but their solar panels may have been reflecting the sunlight towards Israel and neighboring countries, allowing their detection despite being hundreds of kilometers away.
This was not the first time that Starlink satellites could be seen over Israel. In July of last year, Israelis reported seeing a line of lights flying overhead heading north. Similar reports were made in Cyprus and Lebanon.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave its approval to Starlink to spread up to 7,500 new satellites for its internet service. Since 2018 the company launched over 3,500 satellites that are circumventing the earth at low altitudes, and tens of thousands of Americans have joined the internet service.