TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The attached video is from an unrelated story that aired on June 7, 2023.
If you saw something unfamiliar in the sky Monday night, you're not alone: several WTOL 11 viewers sent us photos and messages asking about a string of lights visible over the northwest Ohio area.
The lights, which appear as dots in a straight or sometimes curved line, are SpaceX Starlink satellites. Over 4,000 of these man-made objects orbit Earth, providing satellite internet access to 54 countries. While not all 4,000 are visible at the same time, sometimes a section of them can be seen at night around the globe, prompting awe and sometimes confusions by anyone looking up.
WTOL 11 viewer Douglas Freyer sent us the following photo of the satellites Monday night from Oregon, Ohio.
![](https://media.wtol.com/assets/WTOL/images/f4fc920a-cca1-4da1-ae36-5dc69049d91c/f4fc920a-cca1-4da1-ae36-5dc69049d91c_16x9.jpg)
![](https://media.wtol.com/assets/WTOL/images/f4fc920a-cca1-4da1-ae36-5dc69049d91c/f4fc920a-cca1-4da1-ae36-5dc69049d91c_1140x641.jpg)
Starlink satellites are controversial among some astronomers due to the objects' impact on light pollution and obstruction of telescope observation. Proponents tout the importance of the global connectivity the satellites provide.
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