ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A string of lights were seen in the sky over Illinois on Monday, and many residents were wondering what it might have been.

Was it aliens? A UFO? A long and bright bird? The answer, it turns out, was nothing to that extreme.

It was actually a string of Starlink satellites, which flew over Northern Illinois around 7 p.m. Similar sightings happened back in April 2022 and April 2020, according to NBC Chicago.

The satellites were launched into orbit on Sunday evening. Many residents were concerned that the lights might have been a bad omen, since the U.S. has recently shot down objects across the country and in Canada.

“We have been more closely scrutinizing our airspace at these altitudes, including enhancing our radar, which may at least partly explain the increase,” said Melissa Dalton, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense.

There is actually a website that people can visit to track the movement of the Starlink satellites. They might be visible again Thursday night, according to the website.