Mt. Etna Object
In December 2018, a forward-looking infrared video sensor aboard an uncrewed U.S. Air Force platform captured this footage while operating over the Mediterranean Sea. This footage depicts an object that appears to be transiting a plume of superheated gas and ash produced by an eruption of Mt. Etna, a volcano in Sicily, Italy. AARO coordinated an interagency and international analytical effort that determined that optical effects from the intense atmospheric conditions near the volcano distorted the video, causing the object to appear to transit the plume. AARO assesses with moderate confidence that the footage instead depicts a balloon approximately 170 kilometers from the caldera traveling at wind speed and direction. Mt. Etna Case Resolution
Summary
In December 2018, a forward-looking infrared video sensor aboard an uncrewed U.S. Air Force platform captured this footage while operating over the Mediterranean Sea. This footage depicts an object that appears to be transiting a plume of superheated gas and ash produced by an eruption of Mt. Etna, a volcano in Sicily, Italy. AARO coordinated an interagency and international analytical effort that determined that optical effects from the intense atmospheric conditions near the volcano distorted the video, causing the object to appear to transit the plume. AARO assesses with moderate confidence that the footage instead depicts a balloon approximately 170 kilometers from the caldera traveling at wind speed and direction. Mt. Etna Case Resolution
At a glance
- Case ID
- MT-ETNA-OBJECT
- Region
- Mediterranean Sea, near Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy
- Submitting organization
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office
- Sensor
- Infrared · Visual
- Government assessment
- None published
- Government investigation
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) review; footage released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
- SCS status
- Unreviewed
- Attached records
- 1
Evidence Chain
1 government record attached across 1 agency source. Every item links back to the original record.
Primary Source (1)
The record the case is built on.
- Mt. Etna Object
All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office · AARO Released Imagery · NAID AARO-DVIDS-944201 · Video
Government record AARO-DVIDS-944201 released by AARO.
Documented Claims
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No claims have been extracted and reviewed for this case yet.
Citations & quote-level provenance
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[1]Government record AARO-DVIDS-944201 released by AARO.
Government records
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- Mt. Etna ObjectPrimary Source
NAID AARO-DVIDS-944201 · All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office · AARO Released Imagery
Government record AARO-DVIDS-944201 released by AARO.
View at the originating archive
Citation graph
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- Video
- Gov. record
Cite this page
2nd City Standard, UAP Intelligence Archive. “Mt. Etna Object.” Last updated 2026-08-22. https://2ndcitystandard.com/uap/cases/mt-etna-object
2CS Evidence Score
—
Not yet scored. This case has not been through the scoring methodology, so no number is shown.
Source Provenance
- Event Date
- —
- Location
- Mediterranean Sea, near Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy
- Primary Agency
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office
- Government Investigation
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) review; footage released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
- Witnesses
- Not recorded
- Trained Observers
- Not recorded
- Radar
- Not in record
- Infrared
- Yes
- Photo / Video
- Yes
- Physical Evidence
- No
- Attached Records
- 1
- Last Editorial Review
- 8/22/2026