TOLEDO, Ohio — The WTOL 11 Weather Team is forecasting clear skies Friday evening, meaning people across the region will be able to see the Starlink satellites, which form a trail of lights across the sky and provide an interesting sight. Here's what you need to know about seeing the brief phenomenon.
The string of 23 satellites will pass across the horizon from west to east, beginning at 5:56 p.m. and ending at 6 p.m. During the brief, four-minute window, the lights will move across the sky, before disappearing out of sight in the east.
The batch of satellites visible Friday night were launched on Nov. 7 at 11:01 p.m. at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Launched by the company SpaceX, over 4,000 of these man-made objects orbit Earth, providing satellite internet access to 54 countries. They are visible from Earth shortly after they launch, because, although they do not have lights of their own, they reflect the light of the sun, making them appear like stars. Once they deploy solar shields, the satellites become basically invisible to the naked eye.
If you capture a picture of the satellites, send them to WTOL 11 by clicking "Near Me" in the bottom righthand corner of the WTOL 11 mobile news app. Then, click the orange "Share with Us" button on the map and upload your photo.
Starlink satellites are controversial among some astronomers due to the objects' impact on light pollution and obstruction of telescope observation.
Proponents tout the importance of the global connectivity the satellites provide.
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