Is it really possible for a weather balloon to be mistaken for a UFO?

Question

A long time ago I was traveling in a car with someone, coming back from college, when we saw something unusual. This was not on some back road, but on a major highway, and there were a lot of other cars on the road.

We were just coming over a hill into a long valley when we noticed a shining silver- colored sphere suspended over a field. The guy I was with said that must be a weather balloon. We watched it as it stayed in that one spot without moving for some time. Then, all of a sudden it shot straight up at incredible speed and disappeared.

I could see no evidence that it had been tethered to the ground, nor were there people, equipment, or anything else on the field below it.

Many people must have seen it, but there was nothing in newspapers or on TV about it. And the guy I was with asked me not to tell anyone. We were afraid of being labeled kooks.

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible.

A weather balloon could be mistaken for a UFO. It could also BE a UFO.

A UFO is an “Unidentified Flying Object”. If a person saw one flying and didn’t know what it was, it would fit the definition.

Answer 2

While I don't believe that little green men are flying around all over the place, I don't actually know of a single case where a UFO-Weather balloon sighting was ever linked to a specific meteorological experiment.

I can't honestly say I know of anybody who was ever able to stand up and say "20 minutes before the sighting UC launched a weather balloon that was tracked crossing the hozion at exactly the time that the UFO was seen".

The whole UFO Weather balloon thing comes from two original sources. Firstly Ttere was the Roswell incident where radar reflectors that were carried under a weather balloon (but not the balloon itself) were thought to be a crashed UFO, and there was Project Bluebook where the government whitewashed sightings of US aircraft and Soviet spy planes as being balloons.

Answer 3

Yes, and no what you describe could not have been a weather balloon.

Answer 4

I can understand your predicaments at that time. I have had an experience much like yours. What I saw in the sky was I thought at first was just a cluster of stars when suddenly it moves in quick zig-zag pattern. It shoots at trmendous speed considering the altitude where it moves.

Answer 5

A UFO is an 'Unidentified Flying Object' that is seen 'flying' but can not be identified with certainty by the observer.  Perhaps another observer (familiar with weather balloons) could identify it (is or is not a balloon, etc.).  There is the possibility that atmospheric conditions (hot air, etc.) could cause a mirage where an image of an object appears displaced from its actual location.  If the observer is moving rapidly, the image may move (shift) even much faster than the real object.  That said, although there may be several explanations for typical observations, only the actual observer will be satisfied if a particular explanations makes sense.  Reflections of entire cities have been observed in the sky.  Alien UFOs may be on the list of possible explanations but that can not (as yet?) be certain.  Perhaps only kooks insist upon what caused an observation rather than report exactly what they saw and leave the cause open to interpretation.

Answer 6

Many "extraterrestrial" sightings are a result of people WANTING those things to be there. In other words, you subconsciously wanted to see a UFO, so you saw one. Have you ever seen "A Beautiful Mind?" Same exact concept: seeing things that simply are not there.

Answer 7

No, and what you described was NOT a weather balloon.

Weather balloons are usually made of white latex by the Totex Corporation of Japan.

They are about 1.5 metres in diameter at release, but expand to 10-15 metres across at burst altitude which is 25 to 35 km high (hopefully). You can get an early burst for a short flight if you attach sticky tape from the top, down one sied to the tie-off at the neck.

They sometimes carry a radar reflector - a aluminium coated polystyrene boxy thing to reflect radar signals. The radar reflector is attached to the tie-off at the neck and is about half a metre in size.

They almost always carry a small scientific package which measures pressure, temperature and humidity as it ascends in the atmosphere. The package may contain a GPS system to calculate wind data. All the data is radioed back to the release station.

The package is called a radiosonde and is suspended about 20 metres below he balloon. The package weighs several 10s of grams.

If there is no radar reflector, there will be a small paraschute to slow the fall when the balloon bursts.

Radiosonde stations may do one or two releases each day and every day at 0000 UTC (one per day) and possibly at 1200 UTC for two per day. Most stations do two per day.

The data is exchanged with all meteorological organisations for monitoring the atmosphere for weather forecasting and research.

You can obtain data fro any location in the world and any release time at http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/soundin...

Answer 8

ive read that is the case a lot of times....it could be a weather balloon or a UFO.I think it was a UFO for some reason..

Answer 9

well just a little i never understood that either but if it moves quickly it has to be something air crapht like.. i always haved believed in paranormal things!!! believe

Answer 10

You'll probably never know. The people in the other cars probably felt the same way as your friend...they didn't want to look crazy by going to the police or newspapers. Too bad you didn't call the airport...or whoever you're supposed to call when you see something. Maybe if you remember the date it happened you could still call them and see if they had a weather balloon up on that date. Thanks for telling us about this. Maybe if others see the same thing...they'll think to call the airport etc. about it.

Answer 11

It certainly is possible.  UFO-nuts will see whatever their addled minds want them to see.  It doesn't matter if it's a weather balloon, a bird, or a frisbee.  They see UFOs everywhere.

Answer 12

Getting the two confused is impossible. I've seen two UFOs.

Answer 13

The term is an acronym for Unidentified Flying Object" (UFO) so literally, anything you see in the air that you don';t know what it is, is, by definition  a UFO.

The problem arises when the term is used, erroneously, to assume that what is seen is a extraterrestrial space craft flown by intelligent beings from another planet.

That is an assumption based on wishful thinking, as there is no real scientific and verifiable proof of that.

So yes, you did see a UFO, since:

1. you can don't know for sure what it is, thus it is "Unidentified",



2. It was in the air and moving, thus "Flying" or appearing to be Flying, and

3. It was an Object.

  So yes, you saw a UFO.

What you DIDN'T see was a spaceship from another planet.

Answer 14

yes, it is possible...

Answer 15

Well you could mistake anything for anything so you could have seen a UFO or a weather balloon. Believe what you saw. Dont let any tell you otherwise.

Answer 16

Yes. they can especially weather ballons.

Answer 17

A UFO is just an object in the air whose identity can't immediately be determined.  So, if not identified a weather balloon can *be* a UFO.  I think you mean, "Is it really possible for a weather balloon to be mistaken for an extra-terrestrial craft?"  Well, what does an ET UFO look like?

Answer 18

it might have been a weather balloon and the ties came off or it could have been a UFO. Did you get a picture than you could show it to the news people. What ever you think is right though.