Puerto Vallarta Feb.2014 object

[jaydeehess]

Photographed from Puerto Vallarta early Feb. 2014. I was inland at the time and would put this object out over Banderas Bay. However it did not move fast enough, if much at all, and is probably much too high, visible over thrity foot trees, to be a parasailing tourist. I believe it to be a meteorology balloon, silver in colour with something hanging below it.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mick West]

?

Puerto Vallarta ballon salesman:

 

[jaydeehess]

Much too far away i believe. The photo is zoomed in as far as the camera would go. It was actually hard to see naked eye. I was on the river at the time. Jungle to the west then N.Vallarta hotels.
From any built up area a small balloon would have been a pin point. Second, there was a ground level on shore breeze and it should have been coming towards us had it been low level. Instead it barely seemed to move.

Spent a week there and never saw a party balloon salesperson. Hats, sunglasses, shirts and skirts, jewellery and carvings but no balloons.

 

[Mick West]

Much too far away i believe. The photo is zoomed in as far as the camera would go. It was actually hard to see naked eye. I was on the river at the time. Jungle to the west then N.Vallarta hotels.

Too far away for what? For your description it sounds like a helium balloon would be a perfect fit. They can get very high, and go quite fast in upper winds.

 

[Pete Tar]

I wonder what's going on in the center?

 

[Ross Marsden]

The thing to do would be to buy one of these, let it go from the beach on a similar seabreeze day, and observe, and take photos. See if the otiginal can be reproduced.

 

[Pete Tar]

Are there bigger novelty versions of the star balloon?


ETA.
Yeah there are.

1 Barbie Stars supershape helium balloon.

This big Barbie balloon is the perfect addition to your Barbie themed party - buy a few to float around the party room.

Measures 110cm x 85cm.

Stars are already attached to the balloon and it simply needs to be inflated.

 

[deirdre]

could even be a 'grand opening' thing for a shop or car dealership type thing.

 

[Mick West]

I wonder what's going on in the center?

The center is flat, so it reflects differently. Although I would think at this distance it would be reflecting the sky. Puerto Vallarta does have some 3000 foot hills behind it though, so it could be that.

 

[Pete Tar]

I think it's unlikely that it's a reflection just because it's too well defined, one would expect something much vaguer at that distance (whatever that is)?
eta, perhaps it's a 'return to sender' sign for a backyard/school project?

There's unlikely to be a definite identification here, but helium foil star with random attachments is a good fit.
The instrument package on weather balloons appears to usually be further from the body, as well as the balloons being spherical. (although I don't know if that's a rule in every case)
Except this one.

ETA.

Actually, nothing's stopping anyone from using star shaped balloons as a weather balloon is there? As long as it gets the instruments up there.

 

[deirdre]

someone could have pasted a photo onto the flat part (it does look EXACTLY like micks balloon) ..and that's an 'ilove you' note attached to the string. people do that...release balloons with notes to heaven or to 'let bad thoughts go'..maybe its an ..probably cant say it, note to an ex boyfriend and that's his pic.

or a message in a bottle experiment...'if you find this call'. people do that too.

 

[Soulfly]

someone could have pasted a photo onto the flat part (it does look EXACTLY like micks balloon) ..and that's an 'ilove you' note attached to the string. people do that...release balloons with notes to heaven or to 'let bad thoughts go'..maybe its an ..probably cant say it, note to an ex boyfriend and that's his pic.

or a message in a bottle experiment...'if you find this call'. people do that too.

Balloons are often released at funerals.

 

[jaydeehess]

As I said, it barely seemed to move. What movement was discernable seemed to be that it was moving northwards. It was to my west which puts it over Banderas Bay rather than the high hills to the east. The entire bay is surrounded by these high hills but the bay is 30 Km wide.

I agree that at first glance it resembles a party balloon but it just seems unlikely. Had it been a small party balloon it would have been moving towards me on the west breeze which was always around 20-25 Km/hr the entire week we were there. It just hung there as well, had it been tethered I would expect some side to side movement for such an oddly shaped object. BTW, this was taken at approx 11 AM

Pete Tar's photo partially matches it imo.

Does anyone have access to Mexican Notams for Feb1-6, 2014? If its a weather ballooon it would have been in the area of aircraft taking off from P.V. airport, north of the airport but planes often turned north over Banderas Bay while climbing out.

Then again maybe I, and the 20 people on the cuise up river with me, were fooled by the lack objects by which to discern distance and perhaps there was a residential area just beyond the thick mangroves along the river on that stretch.

On another note a plug for the Hard Rock hotel in Nuevo Vallarta. Had a blast, good food, good entertainment, nice pool and most of all no damn snow!

Anyway it is a bit of a mystery and thought I'd post it here. Party ballooon, advertising balloon, weather balloon and at the outside chance, a parasail on tether to a boat in the bay.

 

[Mick West]

Just a couple more pics to show the "string" matches typical party balloons:

When balloons are very high, their apparent motion can seem less.

 

[Mick West]

Multiple balloons for reference:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashpoole/285290772

These don't have a string attached, which makes them tumble more.

 

[cloudspotter]

The thing to do would be to buy one of these, let it go from the beach on a similar seabreeze day, and observe, and take photos. See if the otiginal can be reproduced.

Encouraging littering Ross? I'm shocked.

 

[Mick West]

zooming in:

The image in the middle is a not unreasonable match for a reflection of Puerto, with a band of cloud over the hills, and some more active surf.

Which you would only get on a the metallic silver balloons.

Compare with the way the balloons above reflect the stadium around them.

 

[Hama Neggs]

That center portion looks like an image of a television set to me. I don't know how that could make sense, though.

 

[jaydeehess]

The thing to do would be to buy one of these, let it go from the beach on a similar seabreeze day, and observe, and take photos. See if the otiginal can be reproduced.

I'm in! Who wants to sponsor my trip back to N.Vallarta? I'm thinking we need to keep sun angle the same so let's get me there again the first week of Feb. 2015. My wife should accompany me of course so let's make that accomadations for two.