Incident #231 Sighting Report — Abilene, Texas, 1 January 1948

This document details Incident #231, a sighting reported by a male civilian in Abilene, Texas, on January 1, 1948. The witness observed a bright blue-green, bell-shaped object with a fan-shaped glow at approximately 1:25 A.M. and again at 1:30 A.M. The object remained stationary and silent for a duration of two seconds. The report includes correspondence from an official, likely associated with the Air Materiel Command, who evaluated the sighting. The official concluded that the phenomenon had no astronomical explanation and suggested it was likely a man-made disturbance, such as an electrical transformer blowing out or an experiment at the White Sands Proving Grounds. The author noted that the green color was the only feature linking the event to the 'New Mexico green flashes,' while other characteristics did not align. Further inquiries at Holloman Air Force Base indicated that no night-time research involving flares or lighting devices was conducted on that date. The document also includes an index from a Project Grudge report, which categorizes this incident under 'Miscellaneous' phenomena, alongside reflections and auroral streamers. The file concludes with a memorandum from the Air Weather Service dated May 11, 1949, regarding the review of incident summaries against weather balloon data.