Image released of mysterious object shot down over Yukon in 2023

An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.

An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.

Released through a Canadian freedom of information request, the grainy image appears to be a photocopy of an email printout.

Heavily redacted documents show how the image was approved for public distribution within days of the headline-grabbing incident, but then held back after a public affairs official expressed concerns that releasing it "may create more questions/confusion."

CTVNews.ca has requested a higher resolution copy.

A U.S. F-22 fighter jet shot down the object on Feb. 11, 2023, shortly after it entered Canadian airspace in the Yukon territory, which borders Alaska. It was one of three unidentified aerial objects blasted out of the sky that month following the high-profile Feb. 4, 2023 downing of an apparent Chinese surveillance balloon. Shot down over Alaska, Yukon and Lake Huron between Feb. 10 and 12, 2023, the three objects were reportedly much smaller than the towering Chinese balloon.

At the time, officials described the Yukon object as a "suspected balloon" that was "cylindrical" in shape. A reported Pentagon memo said it appeared to be a "small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it."