U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet — Sighting Report, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, November 18, 1953

On November 18, 1953, a Major in the Civil Air Patrol, who was also a licensed pilot and amateur astronomer, reported a sighting of an unidentified flying object near Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The witness first observed the object at 12:45 P.M. while parked in the country, approximately ten miles south of Manitowoc. He described the object as silver in color, shaped like a sphere or disk, and appearing to be the size of a lead pencil eraser when viewed from the top. The object remained stationary at an altitude of approximately twenty-five degrees above the northern horizon for over four hours. The witness checked the object periodically, including at 3:15 P.M., 4:15 P.M., and finally at 4:40 P.M., when it was no longer visible. The witness attempted to view the object through binoculars, but noted they were of poor quality and did not improve the view compared to the naked eye. He explicitly considered and dismissed the possibility that the object was the planet Venus, the star Vega, or the star Capella, noting that those celestial bodies would not be visible to the naked eye at noon. Furthermore, he argued against the balloon theory, stating that upper air winds would have moved a balloon and the earth's rotation would have shifted the position of a star, whereas the object remained fixed in the same position for the duration of the observation. The witness had previously reported a similar sighting in August 1941, though he noted that the 1941 object appeared much closer and larger. The official evaluation recorded on the report form concludes that the object was unidentified, despite an initial note suggesting a potential association with Venus.