PURSUE-RELEASE-03 Serial d67096dc-2376-4e1b-a491-599951784685
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An Airborne Object Over Cheyenne Mountain in February 2022 was Possible Backscattering of Sunlight
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[page 1] SUBJECT: USA/Colorado: An Airborne Object Over Cheyenne Mountain in February 2022 was Possible Backscattering of Sunlight page 1 of 4 [page 2] page 2 of 4 An airborne object over Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado /was observed by five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson, /Colorado at 0935 MNT on 15 February 2022, was possibly /backscattering of sunlight. - has low confidence in this /assessment based on uncertainty in the field of view of each /witness, amount of snow cover, and exact elevation and amount of /cloud cover. No anomalous data or characteristics were recorded or /assessed, and the event did not represent an unknown adversarial /capability. - / According to the accounts of five U.S. Army service /members On 15 February 2022, an airborne object was observed /approximately 6 miles to the west over and slightly behind the /Cheyenne Mountain silhouette for approximately 30 - 180 seconds. /The witnesses describe the object as roughly the size of a large /jet and resembling an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of /uneven panels, which was completely stationary about 300-500 feet /above Cheyanne Mountain while slowly changing shape. It had a /slightly translucent, shimmering white appearance, with defined /edges and a milky shimmer that reflected sunlight. The witnesses /noted that the sky was clear, and despite keeping their eyes on the - At 0945 MST on February 15, 2022, in Colorado Springs, /object, it suddenly disappeared. / /the /the sun was positioned at an altitude of about 27.5 over the /horizon in the southeast sky and roughly at an azimuth of 125, /casting shadows toward the northwest and providing soft, angled /light. According historical the National Water and Climate Center /reporting, snow depth on Cheyenne Mountain likely ranged from 6 to /12 inches. Although witnesses reported clear, blue skies, multiple /weather reports, including those from AFWA and Weather Underground, / /indicated the presence of clouds, suggesting that the skies were /partly to mostly cloudy that morning. / - Analysis possibly indicates that the positioning of the /sun /sun in relation to Cheyenne Mountain would allow for backscattering /of sunlight reflecting off snow-covered ground. This reflection /could illuminate low-level clouds in the vicinity, which might /account for the visibility of the object followed by its sudden /disappearance. It is possible that either the clouds or the sun /shifted slightly, causing the reflection to vanish. - has low /confidence in this assessment based on uncertainty in the field of /view of each witness, and exact level of cloud cover. - / Analyst Note: Altostratus clouds are a kind of mid-level cloud /known for their consistent gray or blue-gray appearance. These /clouds usually develop at altitudes ranging from 6,500 to 23,000 page 3 of 4 [page 4] /feet (about 2,000 to 7,000 meters) and can create a dense, uniform /layer across the sky or thin and wispy. While they often appear opaque, altostratus clouds can permit some sunlight to pass /through, resulting in a luminous effect. Typically, the presence of altostratus clouds suggests that precipitation is imminent, as they /may bring light rain or snow. Analyst Note: Backscattering is the phenomenon where sunlight /reflects off the snow-covered ground and reflects upwards, /scattering through the atmosphere and illuminate low-level clouds. This is especially noticeable when the sun is low over the horizon. No aircraft or balloons were noted active in or around /Cheyenne Mountain during the time the witnesses saw the airborne /object. page 4 of 4
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This image is a stylized representation of data, likely a bar chart, but without labels or a legend, it's impossible to extract specific numerical data or understand what the bars represent. The image contains a series of horizontal black bars of varying lengths against a white background. The bars are arranged in a somewhat irregular pattern, with some grouped together and others spaced further apart. There are also some larger, more abstract black shapes at the top of the image that could be titles or headers, but their meaning is unclear.
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On February 15, 2022, at 0935 MNT, five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson, Colorado, observed an airborne object over Cheyenne Mountain. The object was possibly a backscattering of sunlight. The assessment has low confidence due to uncertainties in the witnesses' field of view, snow cover, and cloud cover. No anomalous data or characteristics were recorded, and the event did not indicate an unknown adversarial capability.
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It contains text that appears to be an analyst note explaining the phenomenon of backscattering, where sunlight reflects off snow-covered ground, scattering through the atmosphere and illuminating low-level clouds, especially when the sun is low on the horizon. The note also states that no aircraft or balloons were observed near Cheyenne Mountain when a witness saw an airborne object.