Watch: Green light beam spotted over Hawaii likely came from Chinese satellite, astronomers say

Green light beam captured over Hawaii

Astronomers said a Chinese satellite is likely behind green light beams seen over Hawaii on January 28. (Credit: NAOJ & Asahi Shimbun via Storyful)

Astronomers believe green light beams spotted over Hawaii on Jan. 28 were likely from a Chinese satellite.

A National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) telescope captured the green light beams streaking over the night sky. The NAOJ shared the video with the social news platform Storyful.

There was speculation from scientists that the lights were from a radar device on an orbiting satellite owned by NASA.

But on Feb. 6, the NAOJ made a correction saying the lights likely came from a Chinese satellite after the NAOJ team performed a simulation of satellite trajectories.

News of the unusual light comes after the U.S. shot down several foreign objects, including a Chinese spy balloon that entered U.S. airspace.

President Joe Biden and other top Washington officials have said little about the repeated shootdowns, which began with a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this month.

Three more unidentified devices have been shot down, with the latest Sunday over Lake Huron. Pentagon officials said they posed no security threats but have not disclosed their origins or purpose, the Associated Press reported.

Many social media sites in the U.S. lit up with theories that Biden had deployed the aerial devices as a way to distract Americans from other, more pressing issues. Those concerns included immigration, inflation, the war in Ukraine and Republican investigations into Hunter Biden, the president's son.

One of the most popular theories suggested the White House and Pentagon are using the airborne devices to divert attention from a chemical spill earlier this month in Ohio.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.

Air and Space Unusual