Project 10073 Record Card and Associated CIRVIS Reports — Nantucket Island, January 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and a series of incoming military messages (CIRVIS reports) detailing a sequence of unidentified aerial phenomena sightings near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, between January 19 and January 21, 1961. Multiple Coast Guard stations, including Brant Point, Sankaty Head, and various light vessels, reported observing objects that appeared as round, ball-like shapes with flashing red and white lights. Witnesses described the objects as stationary, then moving in various directions, including climbing straight up or moving from north to northeast. Some reports indicated the objects appeared to be two to three times larger than a normal star and emitted rays similar to the sun. One report noted that the objects were not stars because they were moving relative to the Earth's rotation. The sightings were accompanied by reports of strong interference with LORAN (Long Range Navigation) signals, which caused synchronization difficulties at the Siasconset station. Despite the detailed observations provided by military personnel, the official evaluation recorded on the Project 10073 card concluded that the objects were likely astronomical in nature, specifically identifying them as Mars or Regulus. The record card notes that the general nature of the reports and the presence of bad weather at the time precluded a more definitive conclusion, though it acknowledges that some of the reported characteristics were consistent with astronomical bodies.