A string of mysterious lights that set social media ablaze when they were spotted in the predawn sky over California's Bay Area were revealed to be the result of a recent SpaceX launch.

ADVERTISEMENT
Twitter users shared photos early Thursday morning of the lights that were spotted over the Bay Area around 5:30 a.m., and theories included UFOs and other paranormal phenomenon.

The cause of the lights turned out to be something far more terrestrial in origin: the 60 Starlink satellites launched into the atmosphere by the SpaceX Starlink rocket two days earlier.

SpaceX said the satellites orbit the earth at a height that's 60 times closer than most satellites, making them visible in the night sky when they reflect light.

The company said officials are working on making the satellites invisible to the naked eye by tilting them away from the sun's light.