There are reports of a spherical unidentified object crash landing in northern Brazil. The natives, predictably, are not very happy about it.

According to multiple reports, the object weighed approximately 50kg and measured 1m in diameter.

"I heard the noise and I went out to see what caused it. I thought it was a plane that had fallen or an earthquake," said Valdir Jose Mendes, 46, a local, who was quoted in The Sun.

"There was an enormous disturbance here. Some were afraid it might have something to do with that 2012 story. Others said it was an alien. But I think it's a piece of a satellite that fell from space," another resident was quoted as saying by NDTV, an Indian television channel.

"It's highly probable that it's the helium tank from the Ariane 4 rocket that was launched in 1997. Its return to the atmosphere was scheduled for the morning of February 22, according to the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies," Gustavo Rojas of the Sao Carlos Federal University was quoted as saying in a third report, by the New Zealand Herald.

Meanwhile, the object has reportedly been taken away by the authorities. A statement released by Brazilian Air Force Command (who confiscated the sphere) said the facility "does not have specialized structures to perform scientific research on this type of aerial phenomena, which prevents the institution to submit an opinion on these events".

Another report, on Space.com, quoted Nicholas Johnson, a chief scientist for orbital debris at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as saying "one to two objects (space debris) are found each year... Last year more than 100 metric tons of spacecraft fell in uncontroleld reentries".

However, for all those who want to believe otherwise, there is also talk about the possibility of the sphere being an alien object... and if it is such, it isn't the first time Brazil has been the stage.

In October, The Sun reported on a suspected alien being apparently caught on tape. The video was filmed by two British tourists who were visiting the village of Mamaus.

While those reports were dismissed, by some, as fake, noted paranormal writer Micheal Cohen was quoted as saying that this was "compelling footage that will be hard to discredit". Cohen also said the footage was "from an area known for experiencing intense UFO activity. It is rather apparent that aliens are interested in this region due to its biological diversity. The area was also the focus of a high-level Brazilian government investigation known as Operation Prato", before going on to say that the Brazilian government denied knowledge of the aforementioned project, only to release files at a later date.

Earthquake