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Did you see the lights in the sky Tuesday? Here's what it was.

SpaceX launched 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Tuesday night.

PHOENIX — Did you see the lights in the sky Tuesday night?

SpaceX launched 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Tuesday night and it put on a beautiful show in the Arizona sky. 

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Abigail and Billy went to a movie and then went to the top of a parking garage in Phoenix to take in the views, but little did they know they were about to see their first rocket launch. 

"I've seen it before... like on the news, but actually coming this way? Never. It's crazy, it's beautiful," they said in tandem. 

Margie Alex in Scottsdale captured a photo of the launch with javelinas eating some cacti in the foreground. 

Only in Arizona! Margie Alex in Scottsdale captured this image of the SpaceX launch with a squadron of javelinas eating...

Posted by 12News on Tuesday, June 18, 2024

This is the fifth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched USSF-62, and three Starlink missions. 

What is Starlink? 

Starlink is "the world's first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more," according to the service's website.  

The "constellation" of satellites consists of thousands of satellites that orbit Earth at an altitude of about 550 km, or 341 3/4 miles.   

The satellites connect to antennas that users set up at their home to provide internet access.  

What SpaceX launches look like in Arizona 

Launches happen regularly out of California and create a light display over Arizona. 

Dr. Vishnu Reddy,  a scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, studies space situational awareness and basically ... knows a lot about space. 

He told 12News the reason the SpaceX rockets light up the sky is not because the engines burn brightly (although they do), it's because of something called the Twilight Phenomenon.

"The sun might have set for us here in Arizona, but it hasn't set in California," Reddy said. "So it's catching that sunlight and reflecting off."

In short, the rocket launches far away, in California. but it goes so high that we can see it in Arizona. And when we see it, it's not in the shadow of nightfall, even though Arizona is. The "glow" is sunlight hitting the exhaust trail, even while we perceive the sky to be black.

"If you are at the top of a mountain, you can see the sunset much longer than people at the base of the mountain," Reddy said. So, think of the rocket as the top of the mountain while you're at the bottom. 

RELATED: SpaceX launches look like comets over Arizona. This is why

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