Google Earth Captures Trippy Image of Satellite Appearing 4 Times Over Texas

Satellite imagery collected for Google Earth has revealed some strange things in the past—from phantom islands to mysterious shipwrecks—but zooming in on a rural area in northern Texas recently showed a satellite in orbit and exhibiting a colorful apparition. Reddit users pointed out an image of a satellite flying over the Hagerman Wildlife Refuge near Gainesville, Texas, in the GoogleEarthFinds subreddit. We rarely get to see satellites in action, so this glimpse of the orbital flight is a rare treat. Due to the speed at which the satellite was traveling at the time, it appears four different times in the frame, creating a strange optical effect that resembles a sci-fi film. The image was shared last week, but it was taken on November 29, 2024. The satellite has yet to be identified, but it may be a SpaceX Starlink satellite in low Earth orbit, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who shared his insights on X. McDowell al ... Read full article.