I was surfing Wikipedia, as one does, and I came across this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_high-altitude_object_events_in_2023
Looks like there were 4 other high altitude objects reported between 14-19 February. Two were in China, one, maybe two over Romania and Moldova and one over the pacific. All were described as “high altitude balloons,” but well, here, I’ll just post the descriptions and you can see what you think. I’ve bolded what I find intriguing:
February 12, 2023
Rhizao, PRC
Chinese authorities said they detected an unidentified object over the Yellow Sea, in waters near Qingdao, and were planning to shoot it down due to proximity to Jianggezhuang, a major PLA naval base.
Chinese authorities believed that the object threatened the security of Qingdao’s port, home to Jianggezhuang, a major PLA naval base. Jianggezhuang is the command center of China’s North Sea Fleet, home to nuclear attack submarinesand the aircraft carrier, Liaoning.
It was unclear whether Chinese authorities had shot down the alleged object. Local fishing vessels were sent text alerts asking for their assistance in debris recovery and the collection of photographic evidence after being told to clear the seas underneath the affected airspace.
February 14, 2023
Southeast Romania, and Moldova
The Romanian Air Force unsuccessfully attempted to intercept an unidentified object detected roughly 11,000 meters above Southeast Romania. Two MiG-21 LanceRs under NATO Air Policing command were scrambled from the 86th Air Base. The two fighters could not identify the target, neither visually nor on radar. The aircraft remained in the area for 30 minutes before returning to base.
Around the same time, a similar object was detected over Moldova, near the city of Soroca. Due to the adverse weather conditions and the inability of tracking and identifying the object, the decision was taken to close the air space at 13.24 p.m. for safety reasons*. The air space was opened again an hour later.
February 16, 2023
Shijiazhuang, PRC
Shijiazhuang Airport, serving Hebei’s provincial capital, was shuttered for two hours due to local airspace “being occupied” by an unidentified flying object. Government sources later stated that the object was a balloon but provided no further follow-up, leading to a drop in domestic Chinese stocks.
February 19, 2023
Pacific Ocean, northeast of Hawaii
American air traffic control from the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center reported that a large white balloon had been reported to be flying at an altitude of roughly 40,000 to 50,000 feet (12,000 to 15,000 meters) over the Pacific Ocean, about 594 miles (955 kilometers) northeast of Honolulu, United States.
submitted by /u/E05DCA
[link] [comments]