What were those strange lights appearing over Texas? – Chron
Residents took to social media to share photos and video of the weird light show.
Photo shows strange ring of light shining over Texas on Sunday night.
Strange flying orbs of light appeared in the night sky over Texas on Sunday, sparking concerns of UFOs. Residents across the Lone Star State shared photos and videos on social media of the mysterious illumination. Per a report from KXAN, the lights were spotted moving east between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. CT. One set of such photos captured by Demi Mendiola in Elsa, Texas depict a sphere of light underneath a glowing ring gleaming over a neighborhood.
Mendiola said she was getting out of her car after getting dinner when she noticed the light show. "I looked up and saw the moon to my left and saw the lights to my right and thought to myself 'that doesn't look right,'" she said. "I had someone message me from East Texas near Tyler saying they saw the same thing. I found that the most interesting."
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In a clip shared by TikTok user @corpuscristiuaph, the "unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)" appeared to widen and expand as it flew higher into the sky. "Portal over Texas, CCUAPH group caught an UAP orb opening a portal and flying over head," read the clip's caption.
Another user from Austin uploaded a clip captured at a greater distance, depicting a small light flying through a glowing ring it created before disappearing into space. A follow up clip uploaded by the same user was brightened to show the light in greater detail. "[I don't know] what was in the sky last night but it was the craziest thing I've ever seen," read the caption.
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However, the lights may not be so mysterious at all. A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told KXAN that the lights were most likely from a SpaceX rocket that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:50 p.m. CT on Sunday. The mission, which carried 22 Starlink satellites into orbit, was the sixth launch and landing of the Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage booster. SpaceX has launched more than 4,850 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, with plans to launch 12,000 more.
A closer photo shows a ball of light emitting a glowing ring over Elsa, Texas.
Starlink satellites have confused Texas residents before. Earlier this month, North Texas residents reported seeing strange lights in the sky to local news stations. They too were also reportedly satellites. They are part of a growing Starlink constellation aimed at providing Internet coverage across the globe.
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Ariana Garcia joined Chron in 2021. Previously, she was a community news and breaking news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. She enjoys binge-watching anime and films makeup tutorials in her spare time.
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