BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Several viewers have sent in photos of a light beam across the sky on Monday night, having seen it all across Western New York.
So what was it?
The answer is that it was a SpaceX Starlink Satellite.
According to its website, Starlink is a satellite constellation that uses a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet, capable of supporting uses such as streaming, online gaming and video calls. It can deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to users all over the world.
Thus, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that orbit the planet much closer to the Earth and travel all across the globe about 550 kilometers up.
It’s developed by SpaceX, a company founded by Elon Musk in 2002 as a spacecraft manufacturer, launcher and satellite communications corporation.
For more information on how Starlink works, click here.
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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.
