HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The mysterious blob that appeared on radar screens over the Redstone Arsenal military base here Tuesday may have been caused by the release of a new form of "chaff," or reflective particles designed to test or fool military radar, experts indicated Wednesday morning.



Dr. Kevin Knupp, professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), said early Wednesday that he has a theory but would not discuss it until conferring with Arsenal meteorologists. Knupp said the material, whatever it was, "was not natural" and hovered in the air "much longer than normal chaff."

Chaff are highly reflective particles released into the air either to test or fool military radar, said Huntsville-based National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Carcione early Wednesday. Based on interviews with Knupp and Carcione, the informed speculation about the event seems to be centering on some new form of chaff. "I don't think we have an official explanation," Carcione said early Wednesday. "What it matches most closely is chaff." Carcione said, "It was very clear it was not meteorological." A large plume of smoke or swarm of bugs was also ruled out.

The wide blob appeared on radar at approximately 1:45 p.m. CDT, Carcione said. Knupp said it was still visible as late as 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night. It reached a height of 6,000 feet in the air. It was the subject of wide speculation on the Internet and in the Huntsville scientific community, where the atmosphere is monitored by scientists like Knupp based at the National Space Science and Technology Center.

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This report was updated at 9:47 a.m. CDT Wednesday to add a Twitter tagline and make minor grammatical changes and at 10:23 a.m. to add a link to a UAH time-lapse.