Project 10073 Record Card and Information Report 1-58 — Tiflet-Monor, Morocco, 8 December 1957

On 8 December 1957, between 1715Z and 1730Z, a reporting officer, identified as a Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) with the Fleet Air Intelligence Augmenting Unit, observed a bright light in the sky while traveling in an automobile between Tiflet and Monod, Morocco. The officer described the object as a large light, yellow to orange in color, with a length equal to the diameter of the moon. The object initially appeared to be on a North-North-East (NNE) course and gradually descending. The officer noted that the object did not develop as a vapor trail should, though its intensity increased while its relative dimensions remained constant. Later in the observation, the light reportedly descended rapidly in an arc, dropping approximately 10 degrees toward the horizon. After being obscured by trees for 30 seconds, the light appeared to regain altitude and move in the opposite direction before fading from view. The reporting officer and his family observed the event for approximately 15 minutes. The report includes detailed weather data from Fleet Weather Central, Port Lyautey, noting clear skies and unrestricted visibility. The official conclusion, provided by the Office of Naval Intelligence, suggests that the sighting was not a single phenomenon but rather a misidentification of the planet Venus and a jet afterburner contrail. The report emphasizes that the perceived movement and changes in bearing were likely due to the observer's own motion in the automobile, noting that tests conducted in previous years demonstrated that tracking objects from a moving platform often results in unreliable observations. The document includes sketches of the light's shape and orientation, as well as an overlay of the geographic positions. The reporting officer acknowledged that he was not qualified to determine the cause of the phenomenon and submitted the report for use by those engaged in analyzing unidentified object reports.