Mt. Etna Object Case Resolution

Key highlights

• AARO assessed the object was likely a balloon with moderate confidence.p.1

  “AARO assesses with moderate confidence that the object was a balloon.”

• The object was initially reported to be moving at 345 mph.p.1

  “Object Speed (reported): 345 mph”

• AARO concluded the object's actual speed was approximately 24 mph.p.2

  “AARO assessed that the object’s speed was approximately 39 kph (24 mph).”

• The object was determined to be approximately 0.3 meters in diameter.p.3

  “its approximate diameter was 0.3 meters (1 foot).”

• The object did not pass through the volcano's ash plume as initially thought.p.2

  “The object did not pass through the volcano’s ash plume.”

Outliers

• Initial assessments suggested the object could have moved at 3,400 mph, which AARO disputed.p.5

  “the object may have moved up to 5,470 kph (3,400 mph)”