What was streaking across the sky over Tampa Bay Friday?

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Did you see a string of lights streak across the sky over Tampa Bay Friday evening?

Gary Panther was in Palmetto when he saw the spectacle. He some snapped photos and shared them with WFLA.

Some people wondered if it was a meteor or that huge balloon, thought to be from China, that’s currently flying over the United States.

But according to Birmingham, Alabama meteorologist James Spann, it was an array of Starlink satellites. The satellite network from SpaceX looks like a string of pearls in the sky and is visible to the naked eye.

According to findstarlink.com, a website that keeps tabs on the satellites, the network was visible around 6:45 p.m.

SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019 to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet in remote and rural locations across the globe. There are more than 3,200 Starlink satellites in orbit as of this writing. The company was able to launch a record 180 rockets into orbit last year.