Officials were baffled to spot a mysterious huge metal ball which appeared on the coasts of Hamamatsu, Japan.
Mysterious Huge Metal Ball
Futurism reports that the ball was investigated and x-rayed by the bomb squad of the police. Various speculations about the mysterious object have also circulated online since it was first spotted and reported. Netizens have guessed that the orb was a spy balloon or even a Dragon Ball.
According to the Japan Times, the orb had the size of a wrecking ball. Officials in hazmat suits and helmets restricted access to the area.
ALSO READ: Chinese Spy Balloon Suspected to Hold Bioweapons; US Shoots It Down
Non Spying Buoy
However, after conducting x-rays on the item, the police confirmed that the mysterious huge metal ball was not explosive. It was simply a huge spherical scrap metal piece. The object serves as a reminder that oceans are full of trash and mysteries.
By this time, it was quite late to stop rumors and jokes from spreading online. For several days, footage of the scene has led various people to comment about a possible UFO or an egg that may have come from a large creature in the ocean.
The recent sighting of the mysterious huge metal ball also prompted commentaries that shed light on geopolitical tensions. Shortly before this incident, a missile from North Korea reportedly hit the waters west of Japan. Even before that, a Chinese spy balloon was seen floating over US territories. While the object found on Hamamatsu's shores was a non spying buoy, the results of reports made people speculate about spy buoys.
Uwe Send, who is an oceanographer from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography from the University of California, said that such buoys could be easily bought online. They can even be seen on Pinterest. The Japan Times reports that oceanographers tend to use various buoys for various research purposes. They usually paint them bright and add a contact number or name, often with a beacon or light attached, to help monitor the equipment linked to the buoy.
Buoys that are similar to this recently spotted one usually consist of steel and are used to moor ships in the sea. They usually float over the surface, unlike other orbs that can withstand deep water pressures.
Hamamatsu authorities were unable to determine the source of the specimen. The exterior of the mysterious huge metal ball was rusty and had no clear markings etched on it.
Other Spheres Spotted Before
Interestingly, the discovery of the mysterious huge metal ball comes around two years after a different metal ball was found along the Bahamas shores in February 2021. In this case, however, object etchings enabled the investigators to conclude that the ball was from Russia and that it may have fallen from a spacecraft.
RELATED ARTICLE: Spy Balloon Saga Between China, US Continues; One Spotted Over Hawaii
Check out more news and information on Environment and Climate in Science Times.
