PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — 7 December 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype communications regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported on December 7, 1957, near Darrington, Washington. A civilian witness reported observing a single, round, very bright white object drifting to the southwest for a duration of one hour and fifteen minutes. The sighting occurred between 0015Z and 0130Z. The report notes that the witness could not determine the size of the object. Weather conditions at the time were clear with high, thin, broken clouds. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) conducted an evaluation of the report. Investigators utilized astro plots and astronomical charts to determine the position of celestial bodies relative to the observer. They concluded that the planet Venus was located to the south-southwest of the observer and was moving west. Given the brightness of Venus during that year and the duration of the observation, the official conclusion reached by the ATIC was that the object was likely the planet Venus. The report explicitly notes that weather balloons released from Seattle and Tatoosh were not in the immediate area and would have been at a significantly higher altitude of approximately 40,000 feet, effectively ruling them out as the source of the sighting.