Correspondence Regarding Fireball Sightings (1958-1959)

This document consists of correspondence between the Department of the Air Force and the Flower and Cook Observatories at the University of Pennsylvania, dated August 1959. The correspondence addresses a request for information regarding various fireball sightings reported across the United States between 1958 and 1959. The Air Force provided a detailed record card for a specific sighting on 20 April 1958, located northeast of Boston, Georgia. According to the report, the object was observed at 9,000 feet altitude, moving southwest. It was described as a round, light green object that increased in size and intensity, leaving a trail smaller than the diameter of the sphere. The object was in view for four seconds and was officially concluded to be a fireball. The document also includes a list of other sightings from July 1958 through February 1959, covering locations such as New York, New Jersey, and New Jersey (Toms River, Wrightstown, McGuire AFB). The Air Force notes that the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office has effectively cooperated in solving many important fireball cases over the past 30 years. The document concludes with the provision of a United Press release regarding the 20 April 1958 sighting as an attachment.