The Chinese spy balloon isn’t the only mysterious object in the sky these days. Researchers at the National Astronomy Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) published a video on Jan. 19 captured by their observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, that showed a set of mysterious green lasers flashing across the night sky. While the NAOJ initially said that NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite—which maps the Earth’s surface—was responsible for the light show, the organization recently updated the video saying that it was likely a Chinese satellite that shot the lasers. Don’t worry though: It’s not for spying purposes (probably). Rather, it’s China’s Daqi-1 satellite, which monitors the atmosphere using a tool that shoots lasers to the Earth in order to detect carbon dioxide levels. Then again tensions are pretty high what with the hubbub surrounding the Chinese spy balloon. Maybe it might be smart if they gave a heads up before they, you know, shoot down Matrix-style lasers to U.S. states.
