Project 10073 Record Card — Havre AFS, Montana, 23 September 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and a subsequent teletype report regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on September 23, 1957, near Havre Air Force Station, Montana. The sighting, which lasted approximately 45 minutes, involved a single round, white object described as being the size of a pea held at arm's length. Witnesses reported that the object was brighter than a star and exhibited irregular motion, moving back and forth and vertically. The object was observed moving from an elevation of 15 degrees down to 10 degrees, within an azimuth of 265 to 270 degrees. The report notes that the weather conditions were clear with unlimited visibility, but a temperature inversion was present at the time. The military personnel involved, including radar operators and directors from the 778th ACWRON, provided observations that were later evaluated by the Air Technical Intelligence Center. The official conclusion reached by the investigators was that the object was an astronomical body, specifically suggesting it could have been the star Antares, or the planets Venus or Jupiter, which were in the ecliptic at the time. The report explicitly notes the presence of a temperature inversion, which likely contributed to the visual distortion of the celestial body.