Aliens? Nope. Starlink satellites light up Big Country sky

Texas – A mysterious glowing circle lit up the sky Saturday night, leaving Big Country residents puzzled and snapping photos in awe.

Around 9:25 p.m. on April 12, people across the region spotted what looked like a bright ball of light with a glowing ring around it. Check out these photos and video sent in by Nicole, who caught the strange sight from Lake Fort Phantom Hill.

While some took to social media to joke that it was aliens, the glowing sky actually had a high-tech explanation. As seen in the footage the light came from a fresh batch of Starlink satellites part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX project to provide high-speed internet in rural areas.

The launch happened at 8:53 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was part of the Starlink Group 12-17 mission, which deployed 21 new satellites into orbit.

Reports that the glowing “halo” was the rocket’s exhaust plume catching sunlight high in the atmosphere. The gases reflect the light, creating that eerie, bubble-like effect seen from the ground.