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Special lights in the Cologne night sky: Was it Starlink satellites?

2022-09-19T03:14:37.206Z


Special lights in the Cologne night sky: Was it Starlink satellites? Created: 09/19/2022 05:04 By: Johanna Werning Strange lights can always be seen in the night sky over Cologne. 24RHEIN asked: Shooting stars, satellites - what's behind them? Cologne – The people of Cologne are currently seeing mysterious lights in the night sky over Cologne. To see: Lots of glowing lights hanging like a stri


Special lights in the Cologne night sky: Was it Starlink satellites?

Created: 09/19/2022 05:04

By: Johanna Werning

Strange lights can always be seen in the night sky over Cologne.

24RHEIN asked: Shooting stars, satellites - what's behind them?

Cologne – The people of Cologne are currently seeing mysterious lights in the night sky over Cologne.

To see: Lots of glowing lights hanging like a string of pearls.

But what is the mysterious chain of lights?

The mysterious lights seem to be flitting across the Cologne sky right now - and are causing heated discussions in Cologne's Facebook groups.

Whether in Bilderstöcken (Cologne-Nippes district), in Südstadt (Cologne-downtown district) or in Poll (Cologne-Porz district): the lights seem to appear again and again.

24RHEIN asked DLR.

Facebook user discovers mysterious light over Cologne: "What was that in the sky?"

Cologne residents discover mysterious lights in the sky.

A possible explanation are Starlink satellites (IDZRW assembly) © Panthermedia/Imago & NurPhoto/Imago

A Facebook user in the “NETT-WERK Cologne” group has now asked the people of Cologne: “What was that in the sky at the time?

Lights than on the cord no other signals.

I don't think meteorites.

They burn up, don't they?” The first answers and assumptions from the other Facebook users are not long in coming.

Among the answers: shooting stars, special satellites, but also not entirely serious suggestions like "Iron Man" or extraterrestrial UFOs.

But what's the point?

Curious lights over Cologne "could have been Starlink satellites"

24RHEIN asked the German Aerospace Center – DLR for short.

The answer to the photo of the lights in Cologne: It's not very clear.

"Unfortunately, the images are a bit blurred so that one could guess at a clear cause," says DLR spokesman Andreas Schuetz.

However, one suspicion is particularly obvious.

Also in the comments there is always talk of so-called Starlink satellites.

And what does the expert say?

"It could have been Starlink satellites, but entry into an object in the earth's atmosphere is also possible."

But what exactly are Starlink satellites anyway?

Technology mogul Elon Musk has been sending the Starlink satellites into space for several years.

The goal: The satellites orbit the earth and thus enable a fast and good Internet connection - even in the most remote places.

Every few weeks, Musk's company "SpaceX" sends more Starlink satellites into space.

By 2027, around 12,000 of the Starlink satellites should be in space,

reports

fr.de.

According to “SpaceX”, around 2700 satellites are currently in space (as of August 2022).

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These are the Starlink satellites

► 

These are Starlink satellites:

The Starlink satellites fly over the earth in low earth orbit.

The distance is between 330 and 1325 kilometers.

You can also see them – in the form of fairy lights.

► 

The goal:

With the Starlink satellites, high-speed Internet should be possible anywhere in the world – even in the most remote places.

However, this requires thousands of satellites in orbit.

Every few weeks, a SpaceX rocket launches up to 60 Starlink satellites into space at once,

SWR

reports .

► 

The criticism:

This is exactly what causes criticism.

Because the project produces far too much space garbage.

In addition, astronomers complain that space recordings are disrupted by the satellites.

Cologne: Starlink satellites or shooting stars?

This is how you can tell the difference

But how can you tell if it's a shooting star, a Starlink satellite, or some other celestial body?

Here, too, DLR spokesman Andreas Schuetz has an answer: "On heavens-above you can search for possible overflights of artificial celestial bodies in orbit around the earth." The satellites, constellations and planets that can be seen at the respective location are displayed directly there.

And that can be worth it.

Because especially in the coming days there will be a lot to see in the night sky over Cologne.

"It will always be possible after a launch, for example, to track the Starlink satellites and to see above with good visibility and a clear sky." But that's not all: the Perseids also reach their peak in mid-August.

Up to 100 shooting stars per hour then flit across the night sky in Cologne.

“Only very few clouds are to be expected – if at all.

For Cologne, it should literally be starry, ”said a DWD meteorologist to 24RHEIN.

Ideal conditions to see the Starlink satellite light chains or to go shooting star hunting.

(jw)

Source: merkur

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