How to see the Chinese spy balloon


How to see the Chinese spy balloon

On Thursday, February 2, 2023, reports started flooding in about a mysterious balloon over Montana. The U.S. Pentagon soon confirmed that this was a Chinese spy balloon, although the Chinese government has claimed it is a civilian meteorological balloon blown off course.

As of Friday, February 3, the balloon has now reached the skies over Missouri. You might be wondering, How can I see the Chinese surveillance balloon? It seems to have been following the pattern of the wind. Find a map here of its suspected course into the United States and where it could travel to next.

If you’re under the path of the balloon, which is up to 3-bus-lengths long, you should be able to easily spot it under clear daytime skies. Some reports say the balloon is flying as high as 60,000 feet, or about 11 miles up (18,000 meters). The balloon is sailing through the layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the stratosphere. That’s well above where airplanes fly, at around 32,000 feet (10,000 meters).

Here is the most recent possible track:

The latest on the Chinese balloon

Here’s a summary of what we know as of Friday afternoon:

It’s not a planet

Some of the first videos of the balloon asked if what they were seeing was a planet. Though, of course, between the size it appeared in the sky and its visibility in daylight, it clearly was not.

A journey over Canada

Meteorologists have tracked the likely path of the balloon from China across Canada and into the U.S.

Bottom line: A Chinese spy balloon is crossing the United States. Find a map here of where it may be headed.

Did you get a photo of the Chinese spy balloon? Send it to us!

The post How to see the Chinese spy balloon first appeared on EarthSky.



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/qG2JlMx

How to see the Chinese spy balloon

On Thursday, February 2, 2023, reports started flooding in about a mysterious balloon over Montana. The U.S. Pentagon soon confirmed that this was a Chinese spy balloon, although the Chinese government has claimed it is a civilian meteorological balloon blown off course.

As of Friday, February 3, the balloon has now reached the skies over Missouri. You might be wondering, How can I see the Chinese surveillance balloon? It seems to have been following the pattern of the wind. Find a map here of its suspected course into the United States and where it could travel to next.

If you’re under the path of the balloon, which is up to 3-bus-lengths long, you should be able to easily spot it under clear daytime skies. Some reports say the balloon is flying as high as 60,000 feet, or about 11 miles up (18,000 meters). The balloon is sailing through the layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the stratosphere. That’s well above where airplanes fly, at around 32,000 feet (10,000 meters).

Here is the most recent possible track:

The latest on the Chinese balloon

Here’s a summary of what we know as of Friday afternoon:

It’s not a planet

Some of the first videos of the balloon asked if what they were seeing was a planet. Though, of course, between the size it appeared in the sky and its visibility in daylight, it clearly was not.

A journey over Canada

Meteorologists have tracked the likely path of the balloon from China across Canada and into the U.S.

Bottom line: A Chinese spy balloon is crossing the United States. Find a map here of where it may be headed.

Did you get a photo of the Chinese spy balloon? Send it to us!

The post How to see the Chinese spy balloon first appeared on EarthSky.



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/qG2JlMx

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