Photo: Alessandro Sarasso (Shutterstock)
When it comes to unidentified objects encountered by the US military, the most likely culprits are high-altitude balloons. The US government, weather tracking organizations, private companies, and other groups use these balloons for a variety of reasons. Some collect meteorological data, perform atmospheric experiments, and even deliver internet access to remote locations or areas following natural disasters. They’re also used as reconnaissance devices, as we’ve recently seen in the news.
There are thousands of balloons floating up there right now, many of which are wider in diameter than a jetliner—but you’ll never see them. These balloons fly much higher than drones or airplanes, often as high as 70,000 to 121,000 feet, making them impossible to spot by simply staring up at the sky. Unless, of course, they fall below those altitudes and show up in flight paths, or are noticed by surveillance instruments. This is unusual, but all the recent headlines about “UFOs” turning out to be these balloons indicate it’s happening more often.
One theory behind the sudden appearance (and shooting down) of more spy balloons in US airspace lately is that the government is now looking for—and destroying—them and other unknown high-altitude flying objects more actively than in the past. Normally, if a balloon goes rogue or malfunctions and ends up where it’s not supposed to be, the government probably ignored it. But following the appearance of the Chinese spy balloon, the military is on high alert and shooting them down even if they’re not a threat.
