comment: >
  
  NWS has there own balloons and the NWS doesn’t have balloons that big in the atmosphere. Plus the NWS balloons don’t go halfway around the world.
context: “Why is the telescope pointed down”
  “…” >
  
  Because if it was pointed up, they’d just see the bottom of the balloon. >
  
  I think its time for the Canadians to send them some balloons in response
  Started has the balloon wars! >
  
  99 luftballons >
  
  red ones >
  
  Call Goldfinger >
  
  Well, that is an old one. Wasn't that the reason given about why the U2 that was shot down over the USSR with Francis Gary Powers was flying that day? >
  
  Also same reason USA gave for it balloon flights over USSR and PRC during cold war, when confronted about it. So they are just plain "oldie but goodie" excuse and also probably from China bit of "we haven't forgotten, that you used to do this to us". >
  
  Why would we believe anything they say? >
  
  It makes sense, doesn't it?
  Like who believes China would send a huge white balloon into the sky for everyone to see with the bare eye and use it for spying purpose? They have satellites to do that secretly. And the USA could take down the balloon any time they want. They simply chose not to do it.
  Another cheap spying option, like we have seen from Russia since the invasion in Ukraine started: There have been small drone sightings near military installations and military training grounds in Europe. In Norway they even caught operators.
  No one would use a huge white balloon in the sky. That's something for a Monty Python movie. >
  
  It's also 80000 to 100000..  feet up very not visible to the naked eye. It is visible to radar, but the jet stream hasn't changed much at all over the last month, they knew where it was heading.
  (our passenger jets fly about 36000 feet and are barely visible at cruising altitude) >
  
  It’s currently at 64,200 feet.  I’ve seen it as high as 67,000 on the Flightradar24 app. Passenger planes I’ve seen cruising anywhere between 35-45,000 feet. >
  
  I mentioned my source in my post, Flightradar24 app. >
  
  Could you provide I link, I highly doubt that this balloon has a transponder, are you sure you're not looking at something from project loon? >
  
  ~~flightradar24.com/***~~
  ~~It's the #1 tracked thing in the world atm via MLAT though.~~
  edit: Due to the reply, I'm not sure and removed the probably wrong link. >
  
  What a maroon … I bamboozled myself, lol. Appreciate your mythbusting on me. >
  
  Explained after they got caught? >
  
  I can't believe that thing is still in the air. >
  
  Normal citizens have no capability to take it down. >
  
  True, not normally. It seems there would be the type of people out there to figure out a way to do it. Perhaps not normal, but still civilians (non-official, non-police, non-military). >
  
  The only civilians that could do it are Bezos or Musk, for obvious reasons.  You must not comprehend just how high that is. >
  
  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe. Or a not-so-regular macgyver. Perhaps a Felix Baumgartner type only with a different mindset.