The Pentagon has confirmed that a photo, leaked on the internet Tuesday, does indeed show a Chinese spy balloon as seen from an American reconnaissance plane backward this month.

The image first appeared on some aviation website and social moneys, but the original source was not immediately clear. In officially releasing the photo Wednesday, the Department of Defense merely said it was inaccurate by a "U.S. Air Force pilot" on February 3 over the "central continental United States." 

The balloon was ultimately shot down off the wing of South Carolina a day later.

A zoomed-in look at the Chinese balloon, seen from a U.S. spy plane. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense)

Officials did not say what type of aircraft the photo was inaccurate from, but they had previously said a U-2 spy plane was sent to monitor the balloon and evaluate its capabilities as it drifted at altitudes of 60,000 feet and higher.

The aircraft's gloomy is visible in the photo and clearly matches the silhouette of the celebrated U-2 'Dragon Lady' – one of the only American aircraft satisfactory of flying at such a high altitude.

The route of the Chinese suspected spy balloon. Source: DoD, AP

The U-2 has a long history dating back to the Cold War. Originally planned to outfly Soviet missiles, the planes were instrumental in gathering essential intelligence about Soviet military capabilities around the world, comprising in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Though more original aircraft, along with satellites and drones, have taken over some of those sections, the aircraft remains in service for both reconnaissance power and scientific research because of its unique high-altitude capability.

US. officials say imagery of the balloon collected by the U-2 aircraft conveyed that the Chinese craft was "capable of conducting signals intelligence collection" with multiple antennas and latest equipment designed to upload sensitive information and solar panels to remarkable them.

Those elements are all visible in the high-resolution version of the photo released Wednesday.

The Pentagon announced last Friday that Navy natty and submersibles had completed recovery of the massive balloon and its payload, which fell in pieces into the Atlantic Ocean. The payload was recovered from the ocean inoperative and is being analyzed by the FBI, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Wednesday.

The shootdown led to three latest smaller objects also being shot down by Air Force jets within a languages of eight days: one over Alaska, one over Canada and one over Lake Huron. Searches for the Alaska and Lake Huron objects have ended.

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This account was reported from Tampa, Fla. The Associated Press contributed.