The night sky over Texas lit up on Sunday, January 18, with an orb-like formation — a bright central light surrounded by a ring or trail of smaller lights — recorded in viral videos from multiple cities. Many viewers speculated about UFOs, but most pointed to a SpaceX connection: a Falcon 9 Starlink mission launched 29 satellites from Cape Canaveral at about 5:30 p.m. CT. Local reporting and deployment behavior of satellites make the ring-like appearance a likely explanation; SpaceX had not commented by publication time.
Eerie Orb-Like Lights Over Texas Spark UFO Theories — Likely Linked To SpaceX Starlink Deployment
A strange orb of light was spotted across Texas skies on Sunday, January 18, prompting speculation from residents across the state. One TikTok user captured it near San Antonio's Northwest Side. (TikTok: @rakd0se)
If you went stargazing in Texas on the evening of Sunday, January 18, you may have seen an unusual sight: a bright central point of light with a ring or trail of smaller lights radiating behind it, a formation that prompted viral videos and spirited online debate.
Clips shared across social media show the phenomenon from multiple locations in Texas — including San Angelo, Copperas Cove, Hondo, Waco and parts of the Dallas area — with some viewers saying the display was visible as far away as New Mexico and Oklahoma. The wide footprint and odd appearance led to guesses ranging from UFOs and divine signs to playful references to science fiction.
“Sometimes it looks like this with a halo of light; other times it can look like a trail of lights linked across the sky. Eerie but still very cool to witness,”one commenter wrote under a TikTok posted by @rakd0se.
Most observers, however, suspected a more prosaic explanation: a SpaceX Starlink mission. The Falcon 9 launch on January 18 did deploy 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit at about 5:30 p.m. CT. That mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and headed east toward a landing zone in the Atlantic Ocean — not from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas.
SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas has not had any launches since October 2025, per the company’s website, and no Starbase missions were listed on the schedule at the time of reporting. Some readers questioned whether a Florida launch traveling eastward could be visible so far west; atmospheric and orbital viewing geometry, plus sunlight reflecting off newly deployed satellites, can make a launch or satellite train visible across a wide area.
Temple, Texas television station KCEN reported that the ring-like appearance is consistent with the way satellites can spread into a formation after deployment, producing a halo or linked-light effect as they travel. MySA said it reached out to SpaceX for comment but had not heard back by publication time; the outlet said it would update the story if the company responded.
Videos and eyewitness accounts continue to circulate online as observers and enthusiasts compare footage and discuss the likely causes. While the spectacle inspired imaginative theories, available evidence and expert explanation point toward the Starlink deployment as the most probable source of the orb-like formation.
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