Surprise sky sighting in Bengaluru sparks discussion on Twitter

People in different city neighbourhoods witnessed a bright object in the sky at 7 pm on December 30, sparking excited discussions on social media.

It was later confirmed that the object, visible in Banaswadi, Hesaraghatta, Nagasandra and other areas, was a Starlink satellite launched by SpaceX, a spacecraft company owned by Elon Musk.

Uploading a photo and video of the satellite, Twitter user Srinivas Jain said: “Witnesses a beautiful sight in Bangaluru sky, confirmed this was @SpaceXStarlink launch seen over Bengaluru. I guess we will get used to seeing more of this in the future (sic).”

The post got over 19,000 views, and commentators mentioned sightings over the Chikmagaluru forest and Andhra Pradesh.

Another user UtpalG said, “Apparently, a batch of #Starlink satellites were seen over Bangalore last night. Also notice Venus in the background. Waiting to see OneWeb (or even better an Indian company’s satellite constellation one day). Incredible times ahead.”

Ekta Sawant, who spotted the satellite in Banaswadi and posted about it on Twitter, said that the social media buzz was lower than expected though.

A source from Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium told DH: “On December 28 and 17, Starlink satellites have been launched, about 54 each time.” If spotted around these days, the sightings could be those of these satellites, they said.

Users from Kerala have also posted videos, many of which received over 400 views.