PHOENIX — SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket, which will carry 20 Starlink satellites to space, on Thursday night, according to the company's website.
Liftoff was from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch was barely visible in Arizona due to the sunlight.
The Falcon 9 launch mission will send satellites for the Starlink internet service to low-Earth orbit. This launch will mark the 19th flight of the initial stage booster backing this mission.
After separating stages, the initial stage is set to land on the 'Of Course I Still Love You' droneship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is "the world's first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more," according to the service's website.
The "constellation" of satellites consists of thousands of satellites that orbit Earth at an altitude of about 550 km, or 341 3/4 miles.
The satellites connect to antennas that users set up at their homes to provide internet access.
What SpaceX launches look like in Arizona
Launches happen regularly out of California and create a light display over Arizona.
Dr. Vishnu Reddy, a scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, studies space situational awareness and basically ... knows a lot about space.
He told 12News the reason the SpaceX rockets light up the sky is not because the engines burn brightly (although they do), it's because of something called the Twilight Phenomenon.
"The sun might have set for us here in Arizona, but it hasn't set in California," Reddy said. "So it's catching that sunlight and reflecting off."
In short, the rocket launches far away, in California. but it goes so high that we can see it in Arizona. And when we see it, it's not in the shadow of nightfall, even though Arizona is. The "glow" is sunlight hitting the exhaust trail, even while we perceive the sky to be black.
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