We hate to disappoint, but those two glowing lights in the sky that some in Larimer County saw on Saturday evening weren't actually UFOs. Well, unless you mean unidentified flying objects that aren't connected to extraterrestrial life.

A live flight radar tracker identifies the two balloons in the sky as part of "Project Loon," an effort to expand internet connectivity to rural areas as well as to fill coverage gaps and improve network resilience during natural disasters.

Still, that didn't stop people from having a little fun — a welcome change from the typical internet battles.

Story continues below the photo

Loveland and Fort Collins neighborhood watch groups added their own theories from Balloon Boy to planets to aliens. Residents in Windsor, Wellington and Bellvue also reported sightings. One person asked if maybe they were the result of the fire on Milner Mountain earlier Saturday. Another wondered if they were Chinese sky lanterns.

Story continues below the video

Coloradoan readers sent emails asking about the lights that seemed to maintain their same altitude, some even assuring us that they don't believe in UFOs and calls to local police may have labeled them "crackpots." But something strange had to be going on, they said.

Our reporters and editors got to work.

Story continues below photo

Even after some pointed to the flight tracker online, not everyone was convinced. Maybe that's just a cover, someone quipped. Their colors changed; their movement was minimal.

One reader analyzed the lights through binoculars, saying they had an "almost a pearl-like translucent appearance," similar to a jellyfish with beads and X-shaped lines in the middle of one. We heard from scientists and casual sky watchers alike.

Fort Collins Police Services received its own set of calls about the lights and tweeted out that the agency doesn't have a #SpaceForce Division, so officers are unable to investigate.

And the agency took the opportunity to educate: "However, just in case they were aliens who get mad about drunk driving, you should probably drive sober tonight."

Have more theories, photos or videos? Share them with us on our neighborhood watch page or email shindi@coloradoan.com.