Eclipse observation balloon went missing. Did it land in Treasure Valley?

If a 5-foot purple-and-yellow-striped parachute carrying video equipment dropped out of the sky near you this week, you may have hit the jackpot.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for the return of that eclipse-recording equipment, which disappeared after it was launched with a balloon into the skies southwest of Vale, Ore., on Monday morning.

The area where it may have landed is vast, ranging from eastern Oregon to Caldwell to Sun Valley, said David Roman, part of a team that traveled 18 hours to be in the eclipse’s path of totality.

“In terms of likelihood, it’s going to be in the Caldwell area,” Roman said. The project to gather footage and information about the eclipse aimed to raise awareness of the LGF Museum of Natural History.

The balloon was launched about an hour before the eclipse. It is believed the balloon climbed to an altitude of 100,000 feet after they lost contact with it.

“It rose to about 20,000 feet before we lost the GPS data,” Roman said. “We believe the balloon burst, and it used the parachute to come down.”

The missing equipment is valued at $13,000.

Roman said the team is hopeful that it will recover the 360-degree video camera and its recording of the eclipse. If found, it will become part of an exhibit at the museum.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of the missing equipment, contact Roman by phone: 480-789-9829, or e-mail: David@SpiritVen.com.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Eclipse observation balloon went missing. Did it land in Treasure Valley?."