A curious low-flying jet painted in NASA livery was spotted doing laps over Toronto during the August long weekend, just one in a formation of planes operated by the U.S. space agency combing the skies over the city in the past several days.

And before you hit the comments section with wild claims, no, this isn't a covert UFO (I guess they are called UAPs now, but whatever) recovery operation or some kind of bio-weapons deployment program.

Relax. It's actually just checking in on the air quality in Toronto and other cities across North America.

Is it a bird?🐦 Is it a plane?✈️

It’s NASA’s DC-8 aircraft!

This aircraft will be flying low this summer collecting data about the air quality hovering over our most communal spaces near LA, Chicago, Toronto, and New York.

🔗: https://t.co/EtoQ79cePC pic.twitter.com/c0f41O2xqD

— NASA Armstrong (@NASAArmstrong) June 1, 2023

A large NASA DC-8 aircraft was one of three planes sent to Toronto to take part in a study led by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chemical Sciences Laboratory.

The Atmospheric Emissions and Reactions Observed from Megacities to Marine Areas (AEROMMA) study looks into urban air quality, marine emissions, and atmospheric interactions at the marine-urban interface, among other issues facing the atmospheric composition over North America.

It passed over several
GTA municipalities like Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and Oshawa, among many others. The plane is part of a collaboration between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor air quality levels over NA mega cities

— John Hamilton (@JohnVHamilton) August 6, 2023

However, the large four-engine jet's space agency markings, combined with the looping path across the city at what was often an alarmingly low altitude, had the internet talking all weekend.

Did this NASA DC8 really just fly under traffic on final at 1500 feet? Showing 500 feet over Lake Ontario now. pic.twitter.com/HGgK3v3nEN

— Mike In The Front✈️ (@MikeInTheFront) August 5, 2023

At least one person assumed the worst when they saw a large commercial airliner-sized jet flying so close to the ground.

Scared the shit right out of me I was in the backyard when it flew right over my house haha I didn’t know this was happening so my first thought was a plane was going down. I live in the east end of Toronto so to see a plane that big so low was wild

— Stretch (@Rubbinsracing2) August 4, 2023

Many were apparently surprised by the low, repeated passes. A video captured in Cobourg shows the aircraft screaming over the town of less than 20,000.

Others reacted with wild conspiracy theories. A handful of commenters claimed, with absolutely no supporting evidence, that the plane was spraying substances from above.

Reports coming in from people across the greater Toronto area about a low flying plane appearing to be spraying stuff and keeps coming back and spraying more.

Someone tracked down that its a NASA plane (Flight NASA817) - It's more than 1 plane as well.

wtf are they doing? pic.twitter.com/Vgg09p1qe7

— Magnus Flatus (@MagnusFlatus) August 5, 2023

A few on the far-right of the political spectrum found a way to use the mysterious plane as a vehicle to poke fun at Toronto's left-leaning ways.

I hear that plane is equipped with many sensors to detect common sense in the greater Toronto area. And so far they have come up with nothing, LOL.

— tonys2bits (@tonys2bits) August 5, 2023

The plane was just one of three NASA aircraft circling Toronto over the past few days. The large DC-8 was accompanied on the mission by two smaller Gulfstream aircraft, which were similarly spotted zigzagging the city on August 4.

NASA Flying Formation Over Ontario, Canada.
by u/eatyourcabbage in nasa

The AEROMMA project appears to have departed Toronto skies and planes have returned to their departure point of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.