FAA: Those bright objects in the sky over Oahu aren’t UFOs

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Have you seen those mysterious bright dots in the sky over Oahu?

Lots of your neighbors have ― and there are no shortage of theories about what they are.

UFOs. Spy satellites. Drones.

Turns out they’re weather balloons, according to the FAA.

The agency said they’re operated by aerospace and defense company Raven Aerostar.

In an email, Raven Aerostar confirmed it’s operating “two unmanned stratospheric balloons” over Hawaii. They’ll be in the sky over the islands through at least March 11.

“Our stratospheric balloon systems are not typical weather balloons. They carry out a variety of missions, from providing mobile network coverage in the wake of a natural disaster to monitoring active wildfires,” a spokesperson said, in an email.

“Neither of the balloons over Hawaii are equipped with any cameras or sensors that can monitor ground activity. These are research and development flights for testing the endurance of our flight system. Both balloons are equipped with transponders, and we are in constant contact with the FAA throughout all flights.”

Similar weather balloons usually hover at around 65,000 feet so they don’t interfere with commercial flights, which are normally in the 30,000-foot range, officials said.

It’s not clear how high these specific balloons are.

Viewers told Hawaii News Now the balloons aren’t moving much. One was spotted over the weekend and its path crisscrosses over east and south Oahu on a flight tracking app.

This story will be updated.

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