What’s Known So Far About The “Cylindrical & Silverish Gray” Object Downed Over Alaska

Recovery efforts utilizing military planes and helicopters in the far northeast arctic region of Alaska continue, where on Friday an unidentified object was shot down by F-22 jets.

Still, little definitive is known, including who owns the object or where it came from; however, in media and US official reports the ‘high-altitude’ object is increasingly being referenced as a another balloon.

Biden called the operation a “success” – and yet didn’t engage reporters’ questions directly when asked about follow-up details. 

What has become clear is that Biden gave the order to shoot it down before knowing who owned it or where it came from, or whether it was state-owned or perhaps owned by a corporation. And of course the question remains: was this another Chinese spy balloon? Or was it a weather research balloon just downed over Alaska?

According to details from White House and Pentagon briefings on Friday, including descriptions from senior officials, here’s what’s known at this point:

• It flew at 40,000 feet
• Deemed a safety threat to civilian aircraft
• Unknown origin or ownership 
• Cylindrical and silverish gray
• Roughly the size of a car
• Smaller than the Chinese ‘spy’ balloon shot down last Satursday
• Object not maneuverable or propelled 
• Shot down by US F-22 with sidewinder missile

In the meantime the media is only hyping the rampant online speculation into overdrive…

In the end, there may be a very simple explanation, such as an arctic weather balloon – which aren’t uncommon among researchers and climate scientists in far northern regions.