A bright dotted line of lights was spotted in the Suffolk skies over the weekend – but their existence is far from extra-terrestrial.

People have been speculating after a line of about 20 dotted lights were seen in the skies above Felixstowe on the evening of Saturday, December 9, before they separated and disappeared. 

While some believe that the lights may be linked to aliens and asteroids and others speculate that Santa is starting his rounds a little earlier this year, they came from Elon Musk's Space X Starlink satellite. 

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by the American aerospace company and provides coverage to more than 60 countries.

Space X began launching Starlink satellites in 2019.

READ MORE: How to spot 150 multi-coloured meteors per hour in Suffolk skies this week

It provides internet coverage to the most rural parts of the world by sending thousands of small satellites into orbit, and they beam down broadband signals to areas without strong cable connections.

According to findstarlink.com, Felixstowe locals might spot the lights in the sky on Wednesday evening by looking from west to northeast at about 5.11pm. 

It is currently being used in UK government trials to connect areas without strong internet connections.

By August 2023, about 5,000 Starlink satellites were in orbit, though Space X is aiming for 12,000 to be deployed.

They are easiest to see in the few days following their launch and are visible to the naked eye until they reach their intended orbit or around 342 miles above the earth.