NASA's new telescope mistaken for spy balloon.
The balloon spotted circling Earth's Southern Hemisphere is actually NASA's latest telescope, the Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT), which is searching for evidence of dark matter by taking detailed images of galaxies in order to spot signs of gravitational lensing. The telescope is wider than a football field and has completed more than two full revolutions around the Southern Hemisphere, capturing several stunning shots of distant galaxies. SuperBIT sits above 99.2% of Earth's atmosphere, which means there is little to no air to obscure its view of the stars, and it can capture images by day or night.