# The Pentagon is tracking a Chinese spy balloon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228 "2023-02-03T01:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 30
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/582 "2023-02-11T22:08:47Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > The balloon from 2009 in Somerset was a solar balloon, just a black plastic bag full of air which is heated by absorbing sunlight which turns it into a ‘warm air’ balloon. But it could have been inflated by aliens, right? 👽 ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/583 "2023-02-11T22:15:56Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > They’re gonna shoot down Santa again, aren’t they? > 😢 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/584 "2023-02-11T22:18:21Z")
And of course after recent news, there are going to be many other sightings reported, regardless of whether China or anyone else is actually doing anything. Some will be the same old phenomena that are always causing “UFO sightings”, except taken more seriously now, and some will be folks just completely making things up because they want attention. And maybe some of them will, in fact, be more genuine Chinese balloons, doing more of whatever-the-heck the first one was doing. But wait for the evidence. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/585 "2023-02-11T22:32:23Z")
I can see some trollish folks launching hordes of those solar balloons just to watch NORAD freak out. And to provide never-ending fodder for propaganda assertions that the administration is not adequately defending the air border. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/586 "2023-02-11T22:35:40Z")
They’re easily sorted out with a cheap telescope. It’s not hard to tell the difference between a large balloon with a payload and a child’s toy. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/587 "2023-02-11T22:44:11Z")
The recent Pentagon UFO report seems to indicate otherwise. Navy pilots and other military personnel have reported hundreds of unidentified aerial phenomena, a significant fraction of which have subsequently been identified as balloons of various kinds, including toy balloons. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/588 "2023-02-11T22:57:02Z")
More on yesterday’s U.F.O. incident over Alaska: > [@](#): > > But the pilots later gave differing reports of what they observed, the source briefed on the intelligence said. > > Some pilots said the object “interfered with their sensors” on the planes, but not all pilots reported experiencing that. > > Some pilots also claimed to have seen no identifiable propulsion on the object, and could not explain how it was staying in the air, despite the object cruising at an altitude of 40,000 feet. > > The conflicting eyewitness accounts are partly why the Pentagon has been unable to fully explain what the object is, the source briefed on the matter said. [https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/11/politics/unidentified-object-alaska-military-latest/index.html](https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/11/politics/unidentified-object-alaska-military-latest/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/589 "2023-02-11T23:02:42Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > The recent Pentagon UFO report seems to indicate otherwise. Navy pilots and other military personnel have reported hundreds of unidentified aerial phenomena, a significant fraction of which have subsequently been identified as balloons of various kinds, including toy balloons. You’re confusing UFO’s with easily identifiable slow moving balloons which are easy to sort out. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/590 "2023-02-11T23:06:33Z")
Many of the objects seen by the Navy Pilots were slow moving balloons, but it took careful analysis to determine that they were mundane. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/591 "2023-02-11T23:07:24Z")
And for those who dismiss balloons with large payloads consider the one one that started this thread. It was capable of carrying 3 thermonuclear bombs with a blast yield of 3 to 4 times that of the Hiroshima bomb. That balloon maneuvered over a nuclear missile site. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/592 "2023-02-11T23:09:29Z")
But once such a black bag of air reached high altitude, such as 40,000 feet, wouldn’t it be cold enough that it would start sinking? Or does it only need to be a slight bit warmer than the _surrounding_ air? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/593 "2023-02-11T23:10:00Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Many of the objects seen by the Navy Pilots were slow moving balloons, but it took careful analysis to determine that they were mundane. cite they were over US land where they could be observed with telescopes. You’re confusing an unknown object with something that can pose a threat. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/594 "2023-02-11T23:10:34Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But once such a black bag of air reached high altitude, such as 40,000 feet, wouldn’t it be cold enough that it would start sinking? Or does it only need to be a slight bit warmer than the _surrounding_ air? Just needs to be warmer than the surrounding air, not warm in absolute terms. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/595 "2023-02-11T23:16:54Z")
Well, you can’t shake a stick in MT without being over a nuke silo… And who knows if it’s actually occupied? And with the Boomers out there, it really doesn’t matter a wet fart. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/596 "2023-02-11T23:22:50Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > But once such a black bag of air reached high altitude, such as 40,000 feet, wouldn’t it be cold enough that it would start sinking? Or does it only need to be a slight bit warmer than the _surrounding_ air? > > Just needs to be warmer than the surrounding air, not warm in absolute terms . So that thing pictured in **eburacum45** ’s post #579 upthread … it’s totally feasible (and unremarkable?) for that kind of balloon to be found at 40,000 feet? Or higher? The object shot down over NE Alaska yesterday was said to have shattered on impact (can find cite if necessary). Would the kind of balloon in post #579 … would that thin plastic get brittle enough at 40k feet (due to cold?) to act more or less like an eggshell and break into solid-looking pieces (as opposed to paper-like or film-like fluttering pieces)? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/597 "2023-02-11T23:53:08Z")
Today’s Canadian UFO was first detected yesterday over Alaska, where yesterday’s UFO was shot down. After “tracking it closely” for two days and “taking time to characterize the nature of the object”, they still don’t know what it is. > ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/598 "2023-02-12T00:51:58Z")
I would believe it would radiate heat and become the same temperature as the surrounding air. Of course, the question is, how long would that take, which is related to the volume of the balloon? Q= UA(delta T) and I do not know the value of U for mylar. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/599 "2023-02-12T01:17:07Z")
If it were just it and the surrounding air, then yes, it’d radiate heat until it’s the same temperature. But that’s not all there is: It’s also gaining radiant heat from the Sun, while the air around it, being almost perfectly transparent, isn’t. Solar balloons will work even better at high altitude. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/600 "2023-02-12T02:05:31Z")
Another UFO over Montana: > > > Matt Rosendale @RepRosendale > ---
**Author:** ![Ssounder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@Ssounder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssounder)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2023, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228/601 "2023-02-12T02:12:31Z")
I wonder if removing the Breaking News tag on this thread was a initiated a bit early? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=29) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pentagon-is-tracking-a-chinese-spy-balloon/979228.md?page=31)