In February 2023, something mysterious happened over the skies of North America. Canadian authorities, along with the U.S. military, shot down several strange objects flying in their airspace, but the details have been mostly kept secret. Now, Canada has released the first-ever image of one of these objects—an event that has raised even more questions.
This object, referred to as UAP 23 (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon), was shot down over the Yukon Territory by a U.S. Air Force F-22 fighter jet. The image, though blurry and unclear, shows a doughnut-shaped object with a gap in its side. The object is part of a series of unidentified objects that were taken down over the U.S. and Canada that month, but the authorities haven’t revealed much else about them.
Canadian news outlet CTV News published the image, which was obtained through a public information request. This image was apparently declassified just days after the shootdown, but it wasn’t made public until now, months later. Even though we have the picture, it’s still unclear what the object actually is, leaving people to speculate.
The image itself is of very low quality, described as looking like a photocopy of an email printout. It was reportedly taken from an aircraft below the object, though this hasn’t been confirmed. While Canadian officials called the object “small” and “cylindrical” at the time, it remains unknown whether it was dangerous or had any spying capabilities. One description says it had a metallic top, a white bottom, and a 20-foot wire hanging below with a mysterious package attached.
Three objects were shot down in total around the same time. One of them, UAP 20, was taken down off the coast of Alaska, and another was destroyed over Lake Huron. These incidents happened just after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.
Despite the initial excitement, no pieces or wreckage of these objects have been recovered. The mysterious nature of these objects has left both the U.S. and Canadian governments tight-lipped about what they truly are and who might have sent them.
Many have wondered whether these objects could be something as simple as weather balloons or even experimental aircraft, but without more information, speculation continues. There’s even a theory that UAP 23 might have been a “pico balloon,” a type of small, high-altitude balloon launched by hobbyists or radio enthusiasts. However, the real purpose and origin of the objects remain a mystery.
What’s even more curious is why the authorities decided to keep the image of UAP 23 under wraps for so long. Some internal emails, released along with the image, show that Canadian officials were initially pushing to release the photo to the public soon after the shootdown. Yet, after discussing it with the U.S. government, they decided to hold off, fearing it might create confusion or spark even more questions.
At the time, U.S. officials claimed that the objects appeared to be harmless, which may have influenced the decision to withhold the image. In one email, Canadian officials noted that releasing the photo could stir up unnecessary speculation, even if they explained what the object likely was.
Despite the release of the photo, many people—both inside and outside the government—are still demanding more transparency about these strange objects. In the U.S., Congress has been pushing the military for more information on UFOs, which are now officially called UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). There’s even an office in the U.S. Department of Defense dedicated to investigating these incidents, but many believe the government isn’t sharing everything it knows.
The lack of clear answers has only fueled more conspiracy theories, with some people wondering if the governments of the U.S. and Canada are hiding something bigger. Even though officials have hinted that the objects might be benign, the fact that no wreckage has been recovered and no clear explanations have been provided leaves room for mystery.
In the end, this newly released image of UAP 23 adds to the intrigue surrounding these 2023 shootdowns. It’s unclear if more information will come to light, but for now, people are left with one grainy photo and a lot of unanswered questions. Will we ever find out what really flew over North America that February? Only time will tell.
