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Islanders were left bamboozled last night as a mysterious cloud-like object darted across the sky with a ‘star’ trailing behind it – but the mystery has now been solved.
Confused by the unusual sight and with Flight Radar yielding no answers, hundreds flocked to social media to ask and share theories about what it was they had seen.
“So we were just out on a walk and I saw what looked like a cloud spot over the moon with a star behind it also as a cloud…but the moon was in the wrong position. It started moving but fast… Anyone know what it may have been??!!” one islander asked the 23,000-strong ‘Jersey Ask! Advise! Advertise!’ group.
Another Facebook user said: “I was watching this too and wondering what it was, when i was watching it looked like it was illuminating the clouds in front of it with a beam of light like it had a forward facing light on it.”
Some theorised it could be a “drone with lights” or a Chinese lantern, while others suggested extra-terrestrial activity.
Video: The bizarre sky phenomenon captured on camera by one islander.
A few individuals argued it could be a “failed satellite burning up”, while one joker postulated: “Obviously it’s aliens Checking our 5g towers are still emitting enough covid.”
It turns out that people in Jersey weren’t the only ones confused by the sighting, with many in the UK and France also querying the ‘cloud’.
The answer, it turned out, was the SpaceX Starlink.
SpaceX launched a 53 Starlink satellite train into low orbit from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
This was the 12th flight of the Falcon 9 first stage.
The Starlink satellite took off at 13:51 EST, and after eight-and-a-half minutes, the rocket came back down to land on the SpaceX drone ship 'Just Read the Instructions' in the Atlantic Ocean.
Amateur astronomer, Tim Burgess took to Twitter to explain what people were seeing.
Just watched the strangest thing.. southern sky at 20:46 souther uk… started as what looked like a cone of light, almost like a headlight in the mist.. no obvious source, just an illuminated cone, a few seconds later it almost separated (video) no aircraft logged… pic.twitter.com/q4fkksM4XG
— Tim Burgess ???????? (@TimBurgess) April 21, 2022
Ok, take the tinfoil hats off.. it was just @SpaceX starlink second stage venting during its second orbit after launching at 18:51 uk time :) looked amazing!
— Tim Burgess ???????? (@TimBurgess) April 21, 2022
Principal Meteorological Officer at Jersey Met, John Searson, told Express: "They're very impressive when you see them.
"Very distinctive, very unusual."
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