Sighting Report — Annapolis, Maryland, 31 October 1953

This document details a sighting report from 31 October 1953, involving five civilian witnesses located nine miles east of Annapolis, Maryland. The witnesses, who included a newspaper distributor of unknown reliability, observed a flight of four F-51 aircraft and noticed a stationary, extremely bright, and shiny round object above them. The object was estimated to be the size of a pea at arm's length and exhibited a possible red cast. After approximately 18 minutes of observation, the object reportedly exploded in a burst of white smoke, breaking into two distinct halves. One half was observed falling rapidly until it faded from sight, while the second half fell more slowly before also fading. The witnesses utilized small Japanese binoculars (3x10) with coated lenses to observe the event. The official evaluation concluded that the object was a weather balloon launched from Annapolis at 1900Z. The report includes meteorological data for the area at the time of the sighting, noting clear skies and specific wind conditions at various altitudes.