Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting of Planet Venus, Panama C.Z., October 1957

This document consists of a series of military communications and a Project 10073 record card detailing a UFO sighting reported by a civilian tower operator at Tocumen International Airport in the Panama Canal Zone. On the nights of October 5 and 6, 1957, the operator observed an intensely white, round object, estimated to be 20 inches in diameter when viewed through 7x50 binoculars. The object was reported to be falling slowly toward the horizon at an elevation of 23 degrees. The observation lasted for one hour and 17 minutes. Military personnel, including 1st Lt. Joseph Wolf, Capt. Dallas, and Amn 3/C William E. Night, were involved in the reporting process. Air Defense radar sites were contacted to search the area, but results were negative. Following an investigation by the Caribbean Air Command (CAIRC) and the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), the phenomenon was officially identified as the planet Venus. The report notes that the planet's position, as calculated by an astro plot using the observer's data, matched the sighting location almost exactly. Additional commentary suggests that atmospheric conditions near the horizon can cause Venus to appear exceptionally large, leading to such reports.