Strange lights in the sky tonight? No UFOs
For a couple of years now, UFOs have almost become a cult object in mass culture. Among the countless films and TV series that give their support to the most imaginative explanations of these phenomena, it sometimes becomes difficult to understand whether a certain thought about it is part of the fantasy or of the (unfortunately disappointing most of the time) reality."I want to believe" would say the fans of The X-Files, the commercial product that probably gave way to the birth of the hundreds of thousands of fans who try to demonstrate every day with all possible evidence (of which 98% highly questionable), that the US government powers Area 51 by running aliens captured in Roswell on treadmills. Definitely an idea from which to take inspiration for a possible future full of interstellar wars.
Most UFO sightings always find an explanation that ufologists would call "boring", and those that occurred in the last days in the skies from different countries are no less. A myriad of people posted videos on social media showing a sequence of lights in the sky, obviously shouting "Beware of the UFO" (semicit.).
Needless to say, this is not about unidentified flying objects, but it is all the result of the umpteenth operation by Elon Musk and his company Starlink, which just the other night kicked off a new operation to launch telecommunications satellites into orbit, which once in position have begun to synchronize with the other satellites already in orbit. Obviously, those who were not aware of all this did not expect to be able to see this show of lights in the sky, immediately launching themselves on the most varied extraterrestrial hypotheses.
We do not doubt that there are other life forms in the universe besides us (if this were not the case it would be really terrifying), but we are really sure that the Earth is such an interesting planet for other forms of life that you want to visit us so often and so fleetingly?
Does the world of extraterrestrial fascinate you? We recommend the book “UFO. The pilots speak ”, available on Amazon.
Spooked Seattle residents share UFO sighting after spotting string of 'weird' lights in the sky - only for astronomer to claim it's Elon Musk's Starlink satellites!
Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched the fifth batch of its 'Starlink' space internet satellites - taking the total to 300.
They form a constellation of thousands of satellites, designed to provide low-cost broadband internet service from low Earth orbit.
The constellation, informally known as Starlink, and under development at SpaceX's facilities in Redmond, Washington.
Its goal is to beam superfast internet into your home from space.
While satellite internet has been around for a while, it has suffered from high latency and unreliable connections.
Starlink is different. SpaceX says putting a 'constellation' of satellites in low earth orbit would provide high-speed, cable-like internet all over the world.
The billionaire's company wants to create the global system to help it generate more cash.
Musk has previously said the venture could give three billion people who currently do not have access to the internet a cheap way of getting online.
It could also help fund a future city on Mars.
Helping humanity reach the red planet is one of Musk's long-stated aims and was what inspired him to start SpaceX.
The company recently filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 4,425 satellites into orbit above the Earth - three times as many that are currently in operation.
'Once fully deployed, the SpaceX system will pass over virtually all parts of the Earth's surface and therefore, in principle, have the ability to provide ubiquitous global service,' the firm said.
'Every point on the Earth's surface will see, at all times, a SpaceX satellite.'
The network will provide internet access to the US and the rest of the world, it added.
It is expected to take more than five years and $9.8 billion (£7.1bn) of investment, although satellite internet has proved an expensive market in the past and analysts expect the final bill will be higher.
Musk compared the project to 'rebuilding the internet in space', as it would reduce reliance on the existing network of undersea fibre-optic cables which criss-cross the planet.
In the US, the FCC welcomed the scheme as a way to provide internet connections to more people.