Al Taqaddum object (AARO)
An infrared camera on a US surveillance blimp over an Iraqi air base filmed an object that seemed to float above the ground for 17 minutes.
2017 CE · 33.34, 43.60 · status: explained
The account
The 23 October 2017 footage from Al Taqaddum Air Base was later released by AARO. AARO's September 2025 declassification paper uses a still from 2:53 of the 'Al Taqaddum Object' video, widely called the 'jellyfish video', as its illustration, and links to the DVIDS copy (p.2).
The sceptical view
AARO assessed with high confidence that the object behaved normally and was consistent with a cluster of fully and partly inflated balloons.
The researched reading
A widely shared ‘jellyfish UFO’ that drifted like balloons and probably was.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 82% | AARO found with high confidence that the ‘jellyfish’ was consistent with a cluster of fully and partly inflated balloons and showed no anomalous performance; the dangling shapes and slow drift fit. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 5% | Some analysts dispute the balloon reading, but the motion shows nothing beyond drift. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 4% | The ‘jellyfish’ label shaped public reading of an ordinary thermal blob. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 3% | Thermal sensor effects can distort shapes but do not create the object. |
| Secret human technology | 3% | A small military balloon or drone is possible. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 2% | The clip was leaked but is genuine sensor footage. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 1% | No unusual natural phenomenon is suggested. |
Official position: AARO assessed it as a cluster of balloons with no anomalous performance.