Could there be this many weather balloons at one time?

Question

Hopefully, somebody who understands Spanish will tell us what this report says. Maybe it was balloons from a wedding.

Answer 1

Could be . . . .

But my first thought is CHILDREN'S balloons.  Fairs and sporting events send up thousands of balloons like this every day.

Without knowing what else was going on the surrounding area, my first thought is children's helium balloons.

Answer 2

I am going to have to disagree with TR. Look at 1:05 minutes into the clip at the split screen in Mexico. There seems to be some sort of formation there. Its not definite but still intresting.

The second clip, my guess is no, that is not weather balloons.

So if this happens all over why can it not happen over my city. I want to see this with my very own eyes.

Answer 3

Yes. It would not even take that many pranksters to make it happen.

Answer 4

they looked like they were in some formation, and weather balloons dont have lights, these did.

Answer 5

We do have a range which we can use to determine size.

Some facts:

The streetlamps are approximately 20 feet tall.

There are no shadows being cast on the ground from these.

I'm going to use rough (inaccurate) math for the next bit, but mostly I'm thinking about the logic behind the math, so feel free to make the math more accurate if you understand shadow focal points with relation to object size.

Lima, Peru (where the story is taking place) is mostly within 200 feet of sea level, but up to 5,000 feet above sea level. If we take the mean value of 200 feet (which is about 60 meters) above sea level, then the size of the objects at football-sized objects would be about 4,000 feet or higher. Because they clearly were higher than the higher points of the city (per the broadcast), they have to be larger.

In one of the shots, they're clearly higher than the stratus clouds, which are 30,000 feet (about 8.5 km) above the ground. If we assume a height of 10 feet over these clouds (which isn't rational, but it gives at least a frame of reference to go from), then what we're looking at are white objects which are approximately 50 feet across. This places them within the realm of larger weather balloons. The altitude of 30,000 feet also means that we'd hear them if they were jets, since they're very loud.

What negates the idea of weather balloons is that one of them is seen moving rapidly. If we assume an altitude of 30,000 feet and a stationary spot at 5,000 feet (gives us a slower rate of speed), then what we're looking at an object which is traveling at approximately Mach 2.5 (almost 1,800 miles per hour, faster than most bullets). If we assume a lower altitude of, say, 15,000 feet, then that speed drops to a mere 600 miles per hour (about 85% of Mach speed). Weather balloons won't travel that fast even in the jetstream. What we're looking at is something moving as fast as a fighter jet, but without sound. Therefore, it can't be a jet.

We've said what it's not... so what is it? The answer: unexplained.

Answer 6

Looks like someone let a big batch of silver mylar balloons go. They look like balloons, they float like balloons. They aren't glowing like someone else said, and balloons floating on the same wind will tend to stay "in formation". Also we don't know if some were tied on the same string or if they are all loose. So it seems like balloons to me. I doubt that they are weather balloons though, unless it was a special stunt.

Birds generally don't look like balloons, though I understand the insult you were directing towards skeptics by this.

EDIT: It's your personal assumption they were the size of "footballs". Without a depth reference it's not possible to objectively determine a size. Regardless, the mystery of white dots floating over English countrysides is not a mystery anymore, they have been positively identified as birds as previously described, and the hoax video used video editing to insert the white orbs. And your condescension is still noted.

EDIT: In no shots did any appear to be at a high altitude, certainly no where near where cirrus cloud level. If one of the balloons happened to catch a breeze for a second and you thought it was at high altitude, then it would appear to be zipping along at mach speed. Easy illusion to catch. I've never seen so much controversy over balloons before! Somebody probably had a wedding  :)

Answer 7

Deenie, this looks like regular white balloons to me.

The little party balloons can fly up to an altitude of 28,000 feet, or just a little over 5 miles.

Once the balloons reach that height, the latex starts to freeze and become brittle, then breaks.

Answer 8

i speak Spanish. the report says "the weather balloon festival was a great success. no one has ever seen so many in one place before!"