{"type":"events","slug":"2018-mt-etna-object","title":"Mt. Etna Object","url":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2018-mt-etna-object","description":"Infrared video near erupting Etna appeared anomalous but AARO judged distant balloon distorted by heat plume","date":"2018-12-01T00:00:00.000Z","tags":["Sighting"],"updated":"2025-06-13T13:26:43.000Z","disclosureRating":6,"status":"resolved","lat":37.751,"lng":14.9934,"connectionCount":0,"content":{"markdown":"A forward-looking infrared camera aboard a USAF platform filmed an apparent object transiting the super-heated ash plume during Etna's 1 December 2018 eruption. Atmospheric refraction elongated and brightened the signature, simulating high-speed passage through the plume. Interagency modelling placed the target roughly **170 km** from the crater, co-moving with upper-level winds, and AARO concluded it was a standard meteorological balloon.[^1]\n\n[Watch the video on DVIDS](https://www.dvidshub.net/video/944201/mt-etna-object)\n\n## AARO reconstruction\n\nAARO's pixel-level reconstruction placed the luminous target twenty-seven nautical miles south-west of the sensor, at roughly **15 000 ft** mean sea level and well outside the ash column. The model matched later frames when the object was no longer visible, confirming that its course aligned with the 260°/21 kt wind field sampled by regional radiosondes.[^2]\n\n## Motion parallax and perceived velocity\n\nRelative motion between the unmanned aircraft and a slow-moving balloon produced a strong parallax cue that made the target appear to race eastward near **345 mph**. After subtracting the platform vector, the residual ground track yields an airspeed near **24 mph**, consistent with passive drift in the prevailing flow.\n\n## Spectral signature\n\nShort-wave infrared systems register reflected solar irradiance from cool objects rather than self-emission. Thermal gradients above an erupting volcano triggered automatic contrast-stretching, generating flicker and pulsation artefacts that operators misinterpreted as deliberate manoeuvre or shape change.\n\n## Shape and scale\n\nMagnified frames reveal a circular silhouette with negligible limb darkening, matching a spherical target of roughly **0.3 m** diameter. No appendages, control surfaces, or panel structure appear after deconvolution.\n\n## Alternate explanations\n\nInitial partner assessments suggested a bird or a craft transiting the plume. Subsequent multisensor review removed wingbeat artefacts and corrected parallax, eliminating avian and high-speed hypotheses. The remaining explanation compatible with kinematics, reflectance, and regional launch logs is a free-floating balloon.\n\n## Assessment\n\nGiven sensor range uncertainty, AARO assigns moderate confidence to the balloon attribution and high confidence that the object displayed no flight performance beyond weather-driven drift.\n\n[^1]: [AARO Official UAP Imagery – Mt. Etna Object](https://www.dvidshub.net/video/944201/mt-etna-object)\n\n[^2]: [AARO Case Resolution Report – Mt. Etna Object, 28 April 2025](https://www.aaro.mil/Portals/136/PDFs/case_resolution_reports/Mt-Etna-Object.pdf)","readingTime":"2 min read"},"relatedRecords":[],"citation":{"canonicalUrl":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2018-mt-etna-object","title":"Mt. Etna Object","publisher":"Disclosdex","retrievedFrom":"https://disclosdex.com/api/v1/events/2018-mt-etna-object","license":"CC-BY-4.0"},"witnesses":["USAF uncrewed platform crew"],"evidence":["Video"]}