Starlink satellite breaking up over Southwest US creates fireworks in the sky

FRISCO, Texas – Skygazers across the Southwest U.S. spotted a possible fireball breaking up in the night sky, but it turns out this shooting star was human-made and not part of three ongoing meteor showers.

Dozens of reports from Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas have come into the American Meteor Society about a fireball event occurring between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Video and photos show a bright trail with multiple glowing pieces moving across the sky. Some reported the display looked like "fireworks."

The video at the top of the story was recorded from Frisco, Texas. 

According to astronomer and orbital debris expert Jonathan McDowell, the fireball was a SpaceX Starlink internet satellite that was part of a batch launched in 2022. SpaceX has thousands of Starlink satellites orbiting Earth to provide internet access around the world. These satellites were designed to re-enter Earth's atmosphere at the end of their mission to prevent more defunct satellites from cluttering low-Earth orbit. 

McDowell wrote on X the satellite came down tracking over Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma and "appears to have been widely observed."

The fiery show in the sky comes as there are multiple ongoing meteor showers. The Leonids and Southern and Northern Taurids meteor showers reach peak activity in November.