Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting of 5 January 1959, Vance AFB

This document details a UFO sighting report from 5 January 1959, involving personnel at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The sighting was observed by a control tower operator and a pilot flying a T-33 jet trainer (tail number 52-9364). The witnesses described a stationary, pea-sized object that appeared silver but changed to red, orange, blue, and green. The object was visible for approximately 10 minutes at an estimated altitude of 35,000 feet. The pilot attempted to close the distance to the object but was unable to do so. A civilian aircraft near Cherokee, Oklahoma, also reported seeing a bright light in the same area. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) investigated the report and concluded that the object was the first-magnitude star Fomalhaut. ATIC analysts explained that the reported color changes, size fluctuations, and pulsating effects were the result of atmospheric refraction of starlight when viewed low on the horizon. The document includes correspondence between a civilian inquirer and Major Lawrence J. Tacker of the USAF Office of Information Services, regarding the official analysis and the correct spelling of the star 'Fomalhaut'. The correspondence also addresses and dismisses rumors that the T-33 pilot had captured gun-camera footage of the object.