A SpaceX rocket carried two dozen Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit after a Valentine’s Day evening launch from the California coast that produced a spectacle in the night sky over Los Angeles.
The Falcon 9 rocket and its exhaust plume, illuminated by the last rays of Saturday sunlight, were visible against the backdrop of a darkened sky from Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California after the launch at about 6 p.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara.
The rocket and exhaust plume are sometimes visible for hundreds of miles as it soars along the coast, if skies are clear and light conditions are right. Launches just after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun’s rays against the dark sky in the background.
Sunset was at 5:36 p.m. Saturday in Los Angeles.
After separation, the first stage booster landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific.
SpaceX has a Starlink constellation of satellites orbiting Earth about 340 miles up, shuttled into space by the company’s rockets. The Starlink network is designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere around the globe.
If light conditions are right, the satellites appear in a train as they parade across the night sky. The satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sundown and before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight.
Use the FindStarlink tracker to find the best upcoming viewing times.
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