UFO on Google Earth?

Originally posted by OzWeatherman
Weather balloons do not keep a perfect spherical shape like on the image but instead usually appear like a flattened oval or something similar. Evasius' photo is a perfect example of this

Even when viewed from above?

reply to post by ArMaP


Yes, its not just a vertical distortion, and the distortion would be more significant at a great height as the balloon expands, as the air pressure decreases. At around 100 hPa an 800g balloon could be as large as a house.

Maybe I did not asked it the way I should.

Does that distortion makes the vertical projection of the balloon's shape look different from a circle?

In other words, does the balloon gets horizontally "squashed"?

I am having some problems trying to explain what I mean, sometimes my English gets stuck, but I hope you understand.

reply to post by ArMaP


Ah ok, i was trying to explain that the balloon DOES get horizontally squashed. You can actually get some quite unusual shapes too.

Another point to consider would be the wind factor. Weather balloons have instruments called radio sondes attached to them via a string that hangs about 60 meters below the bottom of the balloon. Obviously there is wind in the atmosphere and with this in mind, i would expect to see the sonde somewhere in the image to the side of the "object".

reply to post by OzWeatherman


OK, thanks.

Now that I think of it, and if I am not mistaken, the other "UFO" that I saw someone posting that was found on Google Earth had exactly the same look and was over a very similar area.

I must see if I can find it.


Edit: this is the image that I first saw posted as a UFO on Google Earth.



And from what I have seen, at one time there were visible some 15 of those things on several locations.

[edit on 30/9/2007 by ArMaP]

Just a quick question here. Is there anyone out there with any knowledge of a large high altitude balloon having the color of orange?

Yeah we do send up orange balloons. We usually save those ones for cloudy days if we are tracking it by radar or by using a theodolite so its easier for us to distinguish them

reply to post by OzWeatherman

Great Oz! Now I can rule that sighting out for my conscience sake. Thank you very much. I really never thought that it could have been anything "off the chart" really. I did see one in South West Alabama, USA, about 1986-87. I found it by way of binoculars, very high altitude.

reply to post by DREAMING MAN


Your welcome

I really do cherish weather balloon questions. Gives me something to do in between balloon launches at work

reply to post by OzWeatherman

Better to put on another cuppa, looks as if you're up beyond midnight! Are you sending up any balloons this am?

reply to post by DREAMING MAN


Launched one just half an hour ago, and guess what..........it was orange!!!! Didnt have any white ones left

reply to post by OzWeatherman

How far are they tracked? What sort of path do they take? I know the answers will vary according to seasons, wind, temps, & 100's of variables. Basically what I am wondering is, where might they end up & how long might it take?

We track them til they burst from the low pressure. Typically when they reach around 100hPa they can expand to the size of a house. We have different sizes so the altitude does vary, for example an 800g balloon will typically get to about 32km (90,000 feet) in the air, while a 100g balloon will reach about 15km (45,000 feet) in altitude. They usually end up crashing into the ocean or bushland in my area, but it depends on which way the upper winds are moving.

Also should note that we use larger balloons with radiosondes for measuring temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed and pressure. While the smaller 100g balloons are just used for measuring wind