LowEarth

Starlink train over Cape Town tonight

When to see the Starlink “string of lights” from Cape Town, ZA.

Next visible train pass
Wed, Aug 5, 6:48 PM
Peak 24.12° · appears in the NE, moves toward the S · local time, Johannesburg.

Upcoming visible passes

DateTimePeakAppearsToward
Aug 56:48 PM24.12°NES
Aug 56:57 PM34.89°NES
Aug 57:03 PM44.09°NES
Aug 57:28 PM52.10°NS
Aug 66:55 PM31.32°NES
Aug 67:11 PM63.40°NES
Aug 67:20 PM78.69°NS
Aug 67:25 PM60.22°NS
Aug 67:52 PM20.49°NWSW
Aug 76:44 PM20.40°ESE
Aug 77:18 PM83.87°NS
Aug 77:34 PM41.30°NSW

Times are computed for Cape Town and account for darkness + sunlight, so every pass listed is genuinely visible (not in Earth's shadow).

What is the Starlink “string of lights”?

When SpaceX launches a new batch of Starlink satellites, they're released together into a low orbit and spend the first days flying in a tight line before spreading out and climbing to their final altitude. During that window they look like a slow-moving string of evenly-spaced lights — often mistaken for a UFO. It's not a meteor or aircraft: it's sunlight glinting off a fresh Starlink train.

How to see it from Cape Town

  • Time it for twilight — the train is only visible when your sky is dark but the satellites are still catching the Sun: roughly 1–2 hours after sunset or before sunrise.
  • Look in the direction listed above — the line of lights rises near that horizon and drifts across the sky over 1–4 minutes.
  • Get away from streetlights and let your eyes adjust for a few minutes.
  • No equipment needed — a fresh train is easily naked-eye; binoculars make the spacing dramatic.

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