Overview

The Lake Huron UFO, also known as the Lake Huron Unidentified Flying Object or simply the Lake Huron Object, refers to a U.S. and Canada military event in which an unidentified flying object (UFO) was shot down by an F-16 fighter jet over the Lake Huron in Canada and above Michigan and its Great Lakes. The unidentified object was speculated to be of alien origin by many on social media, however, the North American governments did not release such information. However, speculation still ensued on Twitter, Reddit, 4chan and elsewhere, combining with discourse about the then-recent takedown of the Chinese Spy Balloon and the Unidentified Aircraft in Alaska.

Background

At around 3:15 p.m. EST. on February 12th, 2023, Michigan Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin posted to Twitter^[1]:

Just got a call from @DeptofDefense -- our military has an extremely close eye on the object above Lake Huron. We’ll know more about what this was in the coming days, but for now, be assured that all parties have been laser-focused on it from the moment it traversed our waters.

The tweet received roughly 5,300 likes in one hour (shown below, left). Soon after her first tweet, Rep. Slotkin then posted a quote retweet ^[2] that confirmed the object had been shot "by pilots from the U.S. Air Force and National Guard." Roughly 24 hours earlier, on February 11th, 2023, Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister, posted to Twitter^[3] about a different unidentified flying object shot down by an F-22 jet in Yukon, earning roughly 84,000 likes in one day (shown below, right).

Within the hour of Rep. Slotkin's tweets, news outlets like ABC News^[4] started reporting on the event, stating that three U.S. officials confirmed the takedown of a high-altitude object over Lake Huron.

Online Reactions

Within the hour of Rep. Slotkin's tweets and multiple news outlets reporting on the event on February 11th, 2023, discourse and memes about the Lake Huron object spread quickly on social media. For instance, on Twitter, many users joked about the timing of the Lake Huron takedown in relation to it also being Super Bowl Sunday. For instance, on February 12th, Twitter^[5] user heavenmaries tweeted, "we waited 7 years for rihanna’s comeback for it to be ruined by an UFO," earning over 340 likes in one hour (shown below).

we waited 7 years for rihanna’s comeback for it to be ruined by an UFO pic.twitter.com/AtPbBSKdKa

— ۟ (@heavenmaries) February 12, 2023

Others levied jokes about the Chinese Spy Balloon and UFOs time frame, like Twitter^[6] user DArmstrong44 on February 12th who tweeted, "UFOs and Chinese Spy Balloons seeing each other fly over Lake Michigan," and earned roughly 3,700 likes in one hour (shown below).

UFOs and Chinese Spy Balloons seeing each other fly over Lake Michigan: pic.twitter.com/U1L694wGEG

— Danny Armstrong (@DArmstrong44) February 12, 2023

Various memes also surfaced on Reddit, like an Awkward Look Monkey Puppet meme posted by Redditor ArtLover357 on February 12th to /r/NonCredibleDefense^[7] that imagined the aliens in the UFO being friendly despite the U.S. shooting them down, earning roughly 7,700 upvotes in one day (shown below, left). Also on February 12th, Redditor jaunesolo81829 posted a meme to /r/NonCredibleDefense^[8] that referenced The Magic School Bus and the L + Ratio + You X trend, earning roughly 2,400 upvotes in one day (shown below, right).

Reactions To UFOs In Latin America

After the U.S. and Canada said they shot down the UFOs in their territories, other places also spotted alien activity. The Uruguayan Air Force reported on February 12th, 2023, a statement that it was investigating the presence of unusual "flashing lights" seen by citizens in the sky over Termas del Almirón, in the Paysandú department. The video below, posted by @alerta_oaxaca shows the moment strange shapes are spotted flying over the country. The post received 205,800 plays and 610 likes in three days.

🇺🇾 Uruguay | reporta un objeto volador no identificado con las mismas características cilíndricas al derribado en #Alaska hace 2 días. La Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya está investigando los sucesos.👽 #OVNIS pic.twitter.com/RiorABgvPz

— Alerta Oaxaca (@alerta_oaxaca) February 12, 2023

Latin Americans used social media to joke about the UFOs trending, sharing funny memes like TikTok user @chikased7 post (below, left) on February 12th, 2023. The video garnered 162,200 plays and 14,600 likes in two days. @leobagarolo mocked the TikTokers doing dance trends while aliens are invading the Earth. His post (below, right), on February 13th, 2023, garnered 106,300 plays and 10,000 likes in one day.

Various Examples

STOP SHOOTING DOWN THE UFO’s AND LET AMY ADAMS TALK TO THEM pic.twitter.com/8eOdYEJK2g

— wiLL (@willfulchaos) February 12, 2023

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References