By Tim Binnall
The appearance of a mysterious balloon-like object over a Japanese city left residents scratching their heads and taking to social media with concerns that an alien invasion or something even worse was about to occur. The weird incident reportedly unfolded on Wednesday morning in the northeastern city of Sendai when the large white sphere was spotted hovering in the sky. Onlookers were left baffled by the appearance of the oddity and quickly began sharing photos, videos, and theories about the anomaly online.
As one can imagine, some people on social media suggested that perhaps the UFO was of the alien variety. Others offered a more ominous opinion: that the odd object was a clandestine craft sent floating over the country by North Korea for some nefarious purpose. And, of course, there were less-imaginative individuals who put forward the possibility that the balloon-like object was exactly that and nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
Based on what seemed to be some kind of propeller or tether which hung below the object, the prosaic explanation would seem to be the most likely of the different scenarios explored online. However, the origin of the 'UFO' remains a mystery as Japan's meteorological agency told the media that "we don't have a clue what it is" and indicated that they "checked with the Sendai Municipal Government and the Self-Defense Forces, but they don't know either."
Amazingly, according to another account of the incident, authorities in the city even went so far as to dispatch a helicopter to get a better look at the object, though any insights from that excursion were not revealed to the public. Although a police official assured a media outlet that "we just have to keep our eyes on where it's going," that apparently proved to be easier said than done as they eventually lost sight of the UFO when it disappeared behind some clouds later in the day.