You’ve seen them. Those weird, eerie strings of lights marching across the night sky like a cosmic freight train. Honestly, the first time I saw one, I almost dropped my phone. It’s not a UFO, though plenty of people still call the cops thinking they’ve just witnessed an alien invasion. What you’re actually looking at are pictures of Starlink satellites, or at least the real-life version of them.
Since the start of 2026, things have changed up there. SpaceX is currently in the middle of a massive "orbital migration," moving about 4,400 of their older satellites from 550 kilometers down to roughly 480 kilometers. This makes them a bit easier to see during certain times, but it also changes how you have to photograph them. If you’re trying to get a clean shot of the Milky Way right now, you’re basically playing a high-stakes game of Dodgeball with Elon Musk's hardware.
Why your pictures of Starlink satellites look like "Light Bars"
If you try to snap a photo with your phone on a standard setting, you'll probably get a blurry mess. To get those crisp, "Starlink train" shots everyone shares on Reddit, you need to understand exposure. A satellite doesn't sit still. It’s hauling through space at thousands of miles per hour.
When you take a long exposure—say, 10 to 20 seconds—the satellite moves across the frame while the shutter is open. This turns a single point of light into a long, glowing streak. It’s why most pictures of Starlink satellites look like someone drew on the sky with a neon marker.
If you want them to look like individual "dots" or pearls on a string, you have to do the opposite. You need a fast shutter speed, maybe 1/2 a second or even faster. The trade-off? Your photo will be dark as a cave unless you crank your ISO up to 3200 or 6400. It’s a delicate balance.
- Long exposure (10s+): Beautiful, long glowing trails.
- Short exposure (<1s): Individual satellites, but lots of digital grain (noise).
The "Train" is actually temporary
One big misconception is that the satellites stay in that tight line forever. They don't. When a Falcon 9 drops off a new batch—like the Starlink 6-100 mission happening this January—they are bunched together. This is when they are the brightest and most "train-like."
Within a few weeks, they use their onboard ion thrusters to spread out into their assigned slots. By the time they reach their operational altitude, they’re much harder to see with the naked eye. In fact, SpaceX has been using something called "dielectric mirror film" and "terminator tracking" (tilting the solar panels) to make them less reflective. They want to be invisible. Astronomers kinda hate them, so SpaceX is trying to play nice by making the newer V2 Mini and V3 models darker.
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How to actually find them in 2026
You can't just walk outside and hope for the best. You need to time it. Since the constellation is constantly growing—approaching nearly 10,000 active satellites this year—there's almost always something overhead, but only the "fresh" ones make for great photos.
- Check a tracker: Use sites like FindStarlink or apps like Sky Tonight. Look for "High Visibility" passes.
- The Golden Hour: The best time for pictures of Starlink satellites is about 45 to 90 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. Why? Because the ground is dark, but the satellites are high enough to still be catching the sun’s rays. They’re basically mirrors in the sky.
- Find "The Train": Look for missions launched in the last 2-4 days. That's when you get the tight formation.
The Astrophotography "Tax"
If you're a serious hobbyist trying to take deep-space photos of nebulas or galaxies, Starlink is a bit of a headache. You’ll spend hours capturing the Orion Nebula only to find three white stripes right through the middle of your best frame.
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The good news? Most modern software like DeepSkyStacker or PixInsight uses "pixel rejection" algorithms. Basically, the computer looks at 20 different photos of the same spot. If a white line appears in only one of them, the software goes, "Oh, that’s just a satellite," and deletes those pixels, replacing them with the stars from the other 19 frames. It’s annoying extra work, but it doesn't "ruin" the hobby like people feared back in 2019.
Better gear for better shots
You don't need a $5,000 setup, but a shaky tripod will kill your shot instantly. Even a slight breeze can turn a straight Starlink line into a wiggly noodle.
- Lens: Go wide. A 14mm or 24mm lens lets you capture the whole path of the train.
- Aperture: Keep it wide open (f/1.8 or f/2.8). You need every bit of light you can get.
- Focus: Switch to Manual. Auto-focus will fail in the dark. Aim at a bright star, zoom in on your screen, and tweak it until the star is a tiny, sharp needle-point.
The "nifty fifty" (50mm f/1.8) is a cheap favorite for this. It’s tight enough to see individual satellites but fast enough to keep the ISO low. Just remember that with a 50mm, the satellites will fly through your frame in just a few seconds, so you have to be ready.
What's next for the night sky?
As we move through 2026, we’re going to see even more of these. SpaceX is aiming for a total of 30,000. While the newer V3 satellites are designed to be "fainter than 7th magnitude" (which is too dim for most humans to see without binoculars), they still show up in long-exposure photography.
The "migration" to lower orbits is actually a win-win. At 480km, the satellites move faster across the sky and spend more time in the Earth's shadow. This means they are "visible" for shorter windows of time.
Actionable Steps for your next session:
- Download a tracker app today and look for any "Starlink Train" launches scheduled for this week.
- Scope your location during the day. You want a clear view of the horizon, preferably toward the West (for post-sunset) or East (for pre-dawn).
- Set your camera to RAW format. You’ll need the extra data to pull detail out of the dark sky during editing.
- Practice on "Solo" satellites. Don't wait for a train to test your settings. There are thousands of single Starlinks up there right now; use them to dial in your focus and exposure times.