Alien invasion: Starlink presence in Turkish skies created Twitter buzz
Many Turkish Twitter users have shared images and footage of Starlink satellites passing over the country.

As the Turkish skies glimmered with dozens of flying objects late on Thursday, many people came out with their cameras to record the unusual scene. They shared videos and pictures of those objects on social media platforms, triggering curiosity amongst people.
Some believed the flying objects were some kind of alien invasion. Others thought they were signs of the Chinese rocket which is expected to tumble back to the earth.
The US Space Force Command recently announced that it was waiting for an out-of-control Chinese rocket to fall to earth at the weekend.
Twitter was alive with speculation.
Bu sıralı halde geçen 30-40 tane ışığı başka gören oldu mu? pic.twitter.com/cHgtQR3Yck
— Emre Ayaz (@emreayazjj) May 6, 2021
With all kinds of conjecture making the rounds on the social media site, Turkey's Industry and Technology Ministry made it clear that the flying objects were a satellite internet constellation called the Starlink, which is constructed by SpaceX.
The Elon Musk-founded company, SpaceX, aims to send thousands of small satellites into space to form a global broadband system called Starlink.
In a video shared on Twitter, a number of people excitedly counted the glimmering objects seen in the sky from the Turkish tourist town of Bodrum.
Elon Musk uyduları Türkiye'de heyecan yarattı..🌐🌌🛰🚀🛸
— #instagram @eraslan.tc (@eraslantc1) May 6, 2021
Elon Musk'a ait Starlink uyduları zincir şekilde görüntülendi. Harika bir geçiş gerçekleşti...
Bu uydu takımları, Starlink Amerikan uydu şirketi SpaceX tarafından uydu interneti erişimi sağlamak üzere inşa edildi. #bodrum pic.twitter.com/ckPdsVTGTC
Another Turkish user made a witty remark saying the objects were a wedding ceremony of aliens.
az önce üstümüzden bir uzaylı düğünü konvoyu geçti #starlink #elonmusk pic.twitter.com/D2weEIjgDh
— Only Yiğit ⚡️ (@onlyigit0) May 6, 2021
Some users however welcomed and greeted the passing of the Starlink chain and described it as a “great moment.”
Hello Starlink. Thanx for the great moment @elonmusk @StarlinkPage . Nice view from Turkey! pic.twitter.com/mgZdDp5LU6
— Erdem (@erdem_diner) May 6, 2021
Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank also shared a picture of Starlink Leo Satellites on his Twitter account, The photo was taken by a Turkish national observatory camera from the southern city of Antalya.
“During the summer months, we will be able to see more of these satellites on clear nights later on. This event is a result of space technology," TUBITAK National Observatory (TUG) Director Sacit Özdemir told TRT Haber.
TUBITAK explained as to why these Starlink satellites are being seen as glares from the Earth.
“Within the scope of the Starlink Satellite Network Project, artificial satellites are placed in LEO orbits around the Earth over time. Glare caused by the solar panels of these satellites can also be viewed from the ground surface from time to time,” TUBITAK wrote on Twitter.
🛰️Starlink Uydu Ağı Projesi kapsamında zaman içerisinde Yer çevresindeki LEO yörüngelere yapay uydular yerleştirilmektedir. Bu uyduların güneş panellerinden kaynaklanan parlamalar ise zaman zaman yer yüzeyinden de izlenebilmektedir. pic.twitter.com/WkK43VXVi3
— TÜBİTAK Ulusal Gözlemevi (@tubitak_tug) May 6, 2021
On the other hand, many in the US have witnessed similar objects in the sky.
A video shared on Twitter, which was recorded in Auburn Washington, showed clear footage of the Starlink constellation.
A starlink constellation pic.twitter.com/zjy5c6Fcwq
— Kalabria (@K__Jenna) May 6, 2021
They were also spotted in Las Vegas.
Starlink satellites over Las Vegas, Nevada @SpaceX pic.twitter.com/GW5gCmD4WW
— Peter Kitch (@PeterKitch) May 7, 2021