PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Mather AFB, California, 1 July 1960

This document is a Project 10073 record card detailing a sighting that occurred on July 1, 1960, at Mather Air Force Base, California. The report describes a single, flashing object observed for approximately five minutes. When initially sighted, the object appeared to have a fuselage, but when viewed through binoculars, it took on an 8 to 12 petal shape, with the petals formed by very bright rays of light. The object was white in color and traveled at a very high rate of speed on a southwest course before disappearing over a neighbor's house. The observer estimated the object's size by comparing it to the flashing beacon of an aircraft at an elevation of 2,500 feet. The investigation ruled out satellite activity, noting that the object could not have been a satellite at that time of day. Astronomical phenomena were also ruled out, as the object's movement was considered too fast for a star or planet. Radar analysis yielded no contact. The final evaluation concluded that the witnesses likely observed the sun reflecting off an aircraft. The report notes that the sun had set 25 minutes prior to the sighting, leaving 37 minutes of remaining daylight, and that both military and civilian aircraft were present in the area at the time of the incident.