> Science On November 10, a dazzling fireball streaked across the skies of Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, capturing the attention of residents who thought they were witnessing a meteor. However, astronomers suggest this fireball was actually the fiery reentry of a SpaceX Starlink satellite launched in 2022. Dozens of people reported seeing the bright object, with many sightings concentrated around Oklahoma City and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The American Meteor Society, which collects reports of such sightings, received dozens of accounts of the event, each describing the fireball’s brilliance as it lit up the night sky, Space.com reported. Starlink-4682 probably deorbited and reenetered the atmosphere over Texas. One of six Starlink reentries since the election (4 confirmed, 2 so far unconfirmed). Five other starlink satellites deorbited during the week prior to the election. This is nothing out of the ordinary. pic.twitter.com/EQV9X9kJ6i — Nicholas Jointson (@NickJointson) November 10, 2024 🚨SPECTACULAR BREAKUP BREAKING: Thousands of witnesses across the Southwest reported an unknown object breaking apart and leaving a sparkling trail! The object could be seen from Oklahoma to Texas. Early reports are it could be a Starlink satellite breaking up as it reentered… pic.twitter.com/PsOjRicqhu — John Cremeans USA (@JohnCremeansUSA) November 10, 2024 According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and renowned spacecraft tracker from the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the object was likely a Starlink satellite disintegrating upon reentry. SpaceX, which regularly launches these satellites to build its global internet service, has deployed thousands of Starlink units to low Earth orbit, but the older models eventually deorbit, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere where they burn up.