PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Billings, Montana, 10 July 1958

This document is a Project 10073 record card detailing a UFO sighting that occurred on July 10, 1958, in Billings, Montana. Two witnesses, whose names are illegible, observed three objects for approximately one hour and ten minutes, beginning at dusk. The objects were described as being thinner and longer than a cigar, possessing a very bright golden color with a fuzzy outline. Initially, one object was stationary and tilted from the horizontal. Subsequently, two other objects approached the first; one of these circled the first object, leaving a vapor-like trail before joining it. The third object then joined the group. Finally, the first object returned to a horizontal position, and all three moved rapidly toward the South before fading from view. The observers were located on Alkali Creek Road in Billings. The report notes that the weather was clear with scattered clouds, and the sun was low on the horizon. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center was that the sighting was likely an optical illusion caused by the interplay of the sun's slant rays on scattered clouds. The document includes supplementary pages that provide detailed descriptions of the objects' behavior, the observers' locations, and meteorological data. It also includes a page from a technical text on optics, which serves to support the conclusion that the phenomenon was a mirage or atmospheric effect rather than an anomalous craft.