Mysterious Orb Seen Floating Over NYC Sparks Debate

A New York City local news broadcast inadvertently aired footage of what appears to be a mysterious blue orb floating over the Hudson River this week and no one is exactly sure what to make of it. While some are convinced that the object appears to be an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP), some more earthly explanations seem more plausible.

The object made its appearance during an otherwise uneventful Good Day New York segment about congestion pricing plans. At approximately two minutes and 45 seconds into the clip, the broadcast cut to footage over the Hudson taken by helicopter. Suddenly, the blue orb can be seen crossing in front of a building on the Hoboken side of the river. It then zooms out toward the bank of the lower Manhattan shoreline and within seconds makes its way out of frame.

The New York Post estimates that if the orb was in fact a UAP, for it to travel the approximately three-mile distance in four seconds, it would have be moving at a speed of about 2,700 miles per hour—or more than double the speed of an F18 fighter jet.

The object was noticeable enough that Good Day New York anchor Dan Bowens, who was on the news desk when the segment aired, later posted a clip to his Instagram story asking: "Anyone else see this on Good Day? What is that? A balloon?"

However, the Post spoke with Harvard professor and theoretical physicist Avi Loeb, who thinks the orb is an artifact of the video.

"This is most likely an optical artifact from the helicopter glass in front of the camera, namely a bright spot from the reflection of sunlight as the camera gradually changes its orientation relative to the sun and the ground," Loeb theorized. "But even if it was a real object, the apparent speed is of an order the speed of sound and not extraordinary."

Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, who currently serves as CEO of Ocean STL Consulting, agreed with Loeb. "For several reasons, looks like an artifact and not an actually UAP," he said.

In either case, a representative for Good Day New York couldn't confirm when the footage was filmed but believes it to have been within the last calendar year. The rep also stated that the footage had not been tampered with by Good Day digital editors. An anonymous source within the station believes that it was indeed a physical object, but likely a drone that appeared to be moving at a rapid speed due to an optical illusion with the movement of the helicopter and camera.

Ultimately, given that it's unclear when exactly the footage was taken and it ostensibly hasn't been spotted again, it seems unlikely that we'll ever know what the object is. But with the recent congressional testimony about UAPs, they're clearly top of mind for many people.