Saw a line of lights in the sky? It was probably Starlink
Very likely a Starlink train. 1 batch of newly launched Starlink satellites is still flying in a line: 2026-225 (28 September 2026, 26 satellites). Tonight 19 of our cities can see one; the biggest are listed below.
Computed 7 Oct 2026, 22:00 UTC from CelesTrak orbit data; refreshed every 6 hours.
Where the train is visible tonight
| City | Country | Starts (local) | Look | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagos | Nigeria | 5:08 am | southeast | 25° |
| Singapore | Singapore | 6:05 am | west | 51° |
| Nairobi | Kenya | 5:23 am | northwest | 87° |
| Port Harcourt | Nigeria | 5:08 am | south-southeast | 36° |
| Accra | Ghana | 4:08 am | east-southeast | 27° |
| Kakamega | Kenya | 5:23 am | north-northwest | 86° |
| Benin City | Nigeria | 5:08 am | south-southeast | 26° |
| Onitsha | Nigeria | 5:08 am | south-southeast | 27° |
| Mombasa | Kenya | 5:37 am | west-northwest | 78° |
| Aba | Nigeria | 5:08 am | south-southeast | 33° |
| Kingston | Jamaica | 6:12 pm | southeast | 23° |
| Nakuru | Kenya | 5:23 am | northwest | 86° |
| Ruiru | Kenya | 5:23 am | northwest | 85° |
| Honolulu | United States | 6:59 pm | south-southwest | 34° |
| Spanish Town | Jamaica | 6:13 pm | east-southeast | 22° |
By country: Nigeria 5, Kenya 5, United States 2, Australia 2, Jamaica 2, Singapore 1, Ghana 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1. Find your city.
How to tell what you saw
| What you saw | Most likely |
|---|---|
| A string of 10 to 60 dots following the same path, a few seconds apart, soon after dusk or before dawn | A Starlink train (launched in the last ~10 days) |
| One very bright, steady white light crossing in 2 to 6 minutes, sometimes fading out mid-sky | The International Space Station; see ISS tonight |
| A single faint dot moving steadily, no blinking | Another satellite, perhaps an older Starlink |
| Blinking red, green or white lights | An aircraft |
| Lights hovering, forming shapes or text, low over a town | A drone light show |
| A streak lasting a second or two | A meteor |
Why the line breaks up
All the satellites of one launch are released together into a low orbit, so at first they fly nose to tail. Each then raises its own orbit on its own schedule, the gaps grow from seconds to minutes, and the satellites turn to an attitude that reflects less light. After about one to two weeks the line is gone. More in What is the Starlink train?
Questions
What is the line of lights in the sky?
Most often a Starlink train: a batch of newly launched Starlink satellites flying one behind another, catching sunlight after dusk or before dawn. They spread out and fade within one to two weeks of launch.
Why are there lights in a straight line moving across the sky?
Satellites launched together share almost the same orbit, so they follow the same path a few seconds apart. Drones in a light show also make lines, but they hover, change shape and are usually much lower and closer.
When can you see the Starlink train?
Only in the first week or two after a launch, and only in the hour or two after dusk or before dawn, when your sky is dark but the satellites are still in sunlight.
Was it the ISS?
The ISS is a single, very bright, steady light that takes a few minutes to cross the sky. A line of several fainter dots is not the ISS.