Project 10073 Record Card — 11 Jan 59 Sighting, Farewell, Alaska

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated teletype message detailing a UFO sighting that occurred on January 11, 1959, near Farewell, Alaska. The sighting involved a bright light that appeared to change color from reddish to bright white. Witnesses, including a CAA operator, a CAB air safety investigator, and an insurance salesman, reported that the object exhibited erratic and rapid movements, including vertical, horizontal, lazy-eights, and circular patterns. The object was initially sighted by an aircrew while flying between McGrath and Farewell, Alaska. The observers were adamant that the phenomenon was not a reflection on the aircraft windshield and, due to the sharp maneuvers observed, was not another aircraft. The object was reported to have disappeared near Puntilla Lake, and a possible second, similar object was noted briefly. The official conclusion reached by the intelligence division of the 10th Air Division was that the object was the planet Mars. The report suggests that the perceived erratic movement of the light was an optical illusion caused by the movement of the observing aircraft and the presence of cloud cover, leading to the final determination that there was no doubt the planet Mars was observed.