AUSTIN (KXAN) — Multiple Central Texas viewers reached out to KXAN Sunday evening after spotting a slow-moving, glowing object drifting across the sky.
Around 7:07 p.m., a bright light that “moved very slowly” and didn’t look like a plane was spotted over the city of Kyle, according to a viewer.
As unusual as it looked, the mystery didn’t last long. The light was almost certainly the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching a batch of 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, Jan. 18, according to SpaceX’s website.
RELATED: What was that mysterious light flying over Central Texas Sunday night?
The SpaceX website mentioned the rocket lifted off at 5:31 p.m. CST, sending its Starlink 6-100 mission into low Earth orbit.
Light seen in the sky over Shiloh, Texas, related to a SpaceX launch on Jan. 18, 2025 (Courtesy: Jeff)
Light seen in the sky over Shiloh, Texas, related to a SpaceX launch on Jan. 18, 2026 (Courtesy: Jeff)
Light seen in the sky over Diamond Trail in Lago Vista, Texas, related to a SpaceX launch on Jan. 18, 2026 (KXAN Viewer Photo)
Light in the sky seen over Central Texas related to a Jan. 18, 2026, SpaceX launch (KXAN Viewer Photo)
Light seen in the sky over Shiloh, Texas, related to a SpaceX launch on Jan. 18, 2026 (Courtesy: Jeff)
Light seen in the sky over Austin, Texas, related to a SpaceX launch on Jan. 18, 2026 (KXAN Viewer Photo)
This launch created a bright plume visible across parts of Texas, a sight Central Texans have seen before. In past cases, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that similar mysterious lights over the region were caused by SpaceX launches passing high overhead.
The distinct glow and slow movement match what viewers across the state have captured during previous Starlink missions, when sunlight reflects off the rocket’s exhaust or newly developed satellites.
So while the sight may have looked otherworldly, unfortunately the explanation was again rooted in Earth’s growing spaceflight activity.
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