re: Just saw a line of light in the night sky

quote:

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Probably Space X Starlink

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You can't see Starlink at midnight from much of the planet. Sunlight has to reflect off of them for you to see them. For an hour or two after sunset and an hour or so before sunrise, you are in darkness, but because of their higher altitude, the satellites are still in sunlight when they get above your horizon, so you may be able to see them.

At local midnight, there's a whole fricking planet between you and the sun. The Earth has rotated enough so that any Starlink birds that are above your horizon are likely in the planet's shadow as well and you can't see them. The higher a satellite is, the longer they might be visible after sunset and before sunrise. Starlink orbits way low, though.

At higher latitudes during summer, the geometry works out that you may see them later and earlier than you can closer to the equator.