PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - 16 Jan 59

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype correspondence detailing a UFO sighting reported on January 16, 1959, in South Dakota. Two witnesses, identified as a forest ranger and a lookout observer for Custer State Park, reported observing a single object that appeared to be the size of a baseball and flickered like a flare. The object was described as moving slowly toward the west and was observed for approximately fifteen minutes before disappearing behind clouds. One observer noted that the object appeared to be in the outer atmosphere, looked like a satellite, and was tumbling. The sighting was reported from two different locations, with the first observation made from an automobile and the second from a lookout station using binoculars. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) conducted an evaluation of the report. By consulting a division astronomer and a star chart, investigators concluded that the object was the first-magnitude star Fomalhaut, which was located in the exact position reported by the witnesses. The investigators further noted that the perceived movement of the object was likely an illusion caused by cloud cover.