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This four-page intelligence community analysis from 2022 examines an airborne object that five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson reported over Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, on 15 February 2022. The witnesses described a stationary, shimmering, potato-shaped object about the size of a large jet that slowly changed shape and then suddenly disappeared. The analysis concludes, with low confidence, that sunlight reflecting off snow and lighting up low clouds possibly caused the sighting. It found no anomalous data and no adversarial capability.
From the source: Release of 2026-06-12 Incident: 2022, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.. Released with redactions. This document contains analysis by an All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) Intelligence Community (IC) partner to account for a 2022 incident involving an airborne object near Colorado Springs, Colorado. U.S. military service members reported the incident to AARO in 2023. AARO’s IC partner assessed, with low confidence, that the reported phenomenon, which observers characterized as resembling an “angular, non-symmetrical potato,” was attributable to sunlight backscattering, where sunlight reflecting from mountain snow cover illuminated the underside of low-altitude clouds. This low-confidence assessment contributes to AARO’s consideration of the incident, which remains unresolved as of June 2026.
- - - - - - page 3 An airborne object over Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado /was observed by five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson, /Colorado at 0935 MNT on 15 February 2022, was possibly /backscattering of sunlight. has low confidence in this /assessment based on uncertainty in the field of view of each /witness, amount of snow cover, and exact elevation and amount of /cloud cover. No anomalous data or characteristics were recorded or /assessed, and the event did not represent an unknown adversarial /capability. / / According to the accounts of five U.S. Army service /members On 15 February 2022, an airborne object was observed /approximately 6 miles to the west over and slightly behind the /Cheyenne Mountain silhouette for approximately 30 - 180 seconds. /The witnesses describe the object as roughly the size of a large /jet and resembling an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of /uneven panels, which was completely stationary about 300-500 feet /above Cheyanne Mountain while slowly changing shape. It had a /slightly translucent, shimmering white appearance, with defined /edges and a milky shimmer that reflected sunlight. The witnesses /noted that the sky was clear, and despite keeping their eyes on the /object, it suddenly disappeared. / / At 0945 MST on February 15, 2022, in Colorado Springs, /the sun was positioned at an altitude of about 27.5 over the /horizon in the southeast sky and roughly at an azimuth of 125, /casting shadows toward the northwest and providing soft, angled /light. According historical the National Water and Climate Center /reporting, snow depth on Cheyenne Mountain likely ranged from 6 to /12 inches. Although witnesses reported clear, blue skies, multiple /weather reports, including those from AFWA and Weather Underground, /indicated the presence of clouds, suggesting that the skies were /partly to mostly cloudy that morning. / / Analysis possibly indicates that the positioning of the /sun in relation to Cheyenne Mountain would allow for backscattering /of sunlight reflecting off snow-covered ground. This reflection /could illuminate low-level clouds in the vicinity, which might /account for the visibility of the object followed by its sudden /disappearance. It is possible that either the clouds or the sun /shifted slightly, causing the reflection to vanish. has low /confidence in this assessment based on uncertainty in the field of /view of each witness, and exact level of cloud cover. / / Analyst Note: Altostratus clouds are a kind of mid-level cloud /known for their consistent gray or blue-gray appearance. These /clouds usually develop at altitudes ranging from 6,500 to 23,000 page 3 of 4
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Report, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 4 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.