comment: >
  
  Quick googling tells me a good rangefinder can go ~5,400 feet.
  So really, if you can't get the range, it tells you the balloon is more than ~5,400 feet away from you. It really doesn't give you much info, considering that is far lower than a spyballoon or weather balloon or typical airplane will fly.
context: I’m pretty sure the only reason we knew about this one is because people saw it.
  Edit: ima stop replying to ppl in this thread and just put a general comment here. Stop acting like if you saw a giant ass balloon in the sky you wouldn’t be curious or concerned at all. >
  
  How would people seeing it, know its a Chinese Spy Balloon, that info had to come from somewhere, I feel moderatly intelligent people who see a big balloon in the sky (See it in the sky, is kind of loaded, it would probably be very hard to tell what it is without binoculars looking right at it) would just assume its a weather balloon. >
  
  From my understanding this balloon is far larger than weather balloons and also stayed in the air much longer, weather balloons are only in the sky for a couple hours before they pop. >
  
  How would you judge the size? It’d be impossible to know if it’s a small object at relatively close or a larger object further away. 
  I’ve seen similar experiments where people guess birds wingspans from the ground. At the height of a flagpole, with the flagpole in view they’re relatively accurate. Once there is no flag pole and the distance is random it became impossible. >
  
  Well first this thing flew in clear view of the public in Montana, I’m sure at least some people there had range finders for hunting or target shooting.
  But also you don’t need to be able to judge it’s exact size, you can realize pretty quickly that it’s damn far away and still looks big. >
  
  Regular range finders don't hit from 60,000 ft lol. >
  
  Oh man you’re so close. If you try to range find something and you can’t get one, what does that tell you.