Project 10073 Record Card — Sighting near Lompoc, California, 1 October 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and associated teletype reports regarding a sighting that occurred on October 1, 1957, southeast of Lompoc, California. At 1745 local time, a witness, identified as a 16-year-old civilian student, observed a round, white object that appeared to be the size of a pea. The object was described as resembling a star or planet and remained stationary at an elevation of 30 degrees above the horizon. The sighting was reported to the 751st ACWRON at Mt. Laguna, California. T/Sgt J. Sable, a controller technician, noted the observation while the witness was watching a flight of bombers. The official evaluation conducted by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) concluded that the object was the planet Venus. An astronomical plot confirmed that Venus was positioned approximately 25 to 30 degrees above the horizon at the time of the sighting, and the weather conditions were noted as clear at dusk, which would have made the planet appear as a very brilliant white object. The report includes annotations confirming the object was stationary and that it was a small white speck observed with the naked eye.