SpaceX CEO Elon Musk next to a picture of Starlink satellites in the night sky
Astronomers are getting irritated about Starlink satellites obstructing their view of the night sky
BRITTA PEDERSEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
  • Starlink satellites were spotted in the night sky on Monday by people in the UK and Ireland.
  • Twitter users posted videos and pictures showing a chain of bright lights moving across the sky.
  • Sightings of Starlink satellite chains, which resemble fairy lights, are becoming more frequent as the service expands.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites were spotted in the night sky over the UK and Ireland on Monday evening.

"Starlink" was a trending topic on Twitter on Tuesday morning, as users posted videos and pictures of the satellites on the social media site.

People were initially confused about what the bright lights in the sky were. Some questioned whether they were fighter jets – but it became clear from the positioning of the shiny objects that they were Starlink satellites, which tend to resemble a chain of fairy lights when seen from the ground.

People who had subscribed to Starlink in the UK began receiving their kits in December. Frequent SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches send around 60 satellites into orbit each time, expanding the space-based internet network.

Currently, there are more than 1,500 Starlink satellites in orbit – SpaceX's goal is to have 42,000 in space by mid-2027.

As the service grows, there are more reports of sightings of the Starlink satellites at night. Most recently, they have been spotted over cities in the US, including Arizona, California, and Los Angeles.

Astronomers are infuriated by the satellites, which obscure their observations of space. SpaceX said in January that it had added sun visors to the satellites to stop the lights spoiling the night sky.

Here's just some of the videos taken by Twitter users showing the Starlink satellites zooming over the UK and Ireland.

Irish stand-up comedian and television presenter Dara Ó Briain also said he caught a glimpse of the Starlink satellites.

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