Why does the U.S. keep shooting down UFOs?
Time|February 07 - March 06, 2023 (Double Issue)
IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF FEBRUARY, THE U.S. Air Force shot down four flying objects that had intruded on the skies over North America, a deployment of force unprecedented during peacetime.
SANYA MANSOOR
Why does the U.S. keep shooting down UFOs?

The first object shot down, on Feb. 4, was a Chinese balloon that the Biden Administration says was part of a yearslong scheme to spy on nations across the earth. But so far, officials have been much less detailed about what the other objects are. One shot down over Alaska on Feb. 10 was described as a “car-sized object” that did not appear to have a propulsion source. One downed over Canada on Feb. 11 was described as “cylindrical,” potentially a balloon, but smaller than the Chinese one. And it was not immediately clear what was shot down Feb. 12 over Lake Huron in Michigan.

This story is from the February 07 - March 06, 2023 (Double Issue) edition of Time.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February 07 - March 06, 2023 (Double Issue) edition of Time.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TIMEView All
maximum-security prison, In a the imagination flies free
Time

maximum-security prison, In a the imagination flies free

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND IS how most Americans probably think about incarcerated individualsuntil an acquaintance or a loved one lands in a correctional facility, after plotting a crime or perhaps just acting impulsively in a heated moment.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 15, 2024
WHY HUNGARY IS SO GOOD AT WATER POLO
Time

WHY HUNGARY IS SO GOOD AT WATER POLO

ARRIVING HOME A WORLD champion in the summer of 2023, Hungarian water-polo player Vince Vigvari got a taste of the rock-star life.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 15, 2024
THE HARDEST SPORTS ON THE BODY
Time

THE HARDEST SPORTS ON THE BODY

Athletes are competitive by nature, so when they get together for a massive sporting event like the Olympics, there's likely a bit of good-natured oneupmanship over whose event is hardest.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 15, 2024
THE FLASH
Time

THE FLASH

ALREADY THE WORLD'S FASTEST MAN, NOAH LYLES IS BRINGING HIS SPEED AND SHOWMANSHIP TO THE PARIS GAMES

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 15, 2024
A SHOW OF PEACE
Time

A SHOW OF PEACE

Andriy Yermak has been President Zelensky's closest wartime adviser. Now he's trying to find an ending.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 15, 2024
PLASTIC BURNOUT
Time

PLASTIC BURNOUT

Fiji is ground zero for the planet's waste problem and the challenge of stopping it at the source

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 15, 2024
On Her Own
Time

On Her Own

Melinda French Gates talks about her divorce, her life, and her post-Gates Foundation plan to help the world by helping women.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 15, 2024
The true meaning of 'give me liberty'
Time

The true meaning of 'give me liberty'

ALMOST 250 YEARS AGO, FOUR weeks before the battles of Lexington and Concord, Patrick Henry rose in St. John's Church in Richmond, Va., to urge Americans to arm for a war that he saw as inevitable. He famously concluded his call to arms: \"Give me liberty, or give me death.\"

time-read
2 mins  |
July 15, 2024
The Putin-Kim affair
Time

The Putin-Kim affair

VLADIMIR PUTIN'S recent trip to North Korea was a remarkable event for many reasons.

time-read
2 mins  |
July 15, 2024
CHINA'S ROVING EYE
Time

CHINA'S ROVING EYE

It wasn't so long ago that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his country's relationship with China \"a marriage made in heaven.\" And when President Joe Biden told reporters in March 2023 that he wasn't inviting Netanyahu to Washington given his plans to undermine Israel's independent judiciary, Netanyahu planned a visit to President Xi Jinping in China instead.

time-read
3 mins  |
July 15, 2024