Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — 4 January 1959 Sighting

This document details a Project 10073 record card and subsequent intelligence correspondence regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported on January 4, 1959. The primary witness, a laboratory technician, observed the object while traveling in a vehicle on U.S. Highway 285, approximately 10 miles south of Clines Corner, New Mexico. The witness described the object as being the size of a grapefruit, displaying a cold green color that shifted to blue and orange, with lights flaring from its tail end. The object was reported to move at high speeds, halt, and cross back and forth before eventually flying out of sight. The observation lasted between 15 and 20 minutes. The witness, who used binoculars to view the object, was traveling north on U.S. 285 and reported that the object passed over the road in front of the car. Subsequent re-interrogation of the witness provided amplifying data, noting that the object was first sighted at 10 degrees altitude and 270 degrees azimuth, moving slowly, and later appeared to hang motionless at approximately 25 degrees above the horizon. The report notes that the observer traveled a total of 75 miles between the first and last sighting. Military intelligence agencies, including the 34th Air Division and the Air Technical Intelligence Center, coordinated to investigate the report. They requested information regarding the flight path and elevation of the object and checked with the Weather Bureau regarding potential balloon releases in the area. The official conclusion reached by the investigating authorities was that the object was the star Spica. The report states that the sighting possessed the characteristics of an astronomical body, with the perceived motion, color changes, and distortion attributed to atmospheric conditions and the observer's own movement in the vehicle. The document includes various teletype messages and a formal record card documenting the incident, the witness's credentials, and the final assessment.