Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting at Misawa AB, Japan, 23 Feb 61

On February 23, 1961, at 1026Z, personnel at Misawa Air Base, Japan, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon for a duration of 58 minutes. The object was described as a bright light, appearing ten times as bright as the star Sirius, with a color range shifting between pinkish white and reddish white. Multiple witnesses, including an Air Force navigator, reported that the object was significantly larger than a star and exhibited variable intensity. The navigator attempted to gauge the object's size by observing it through the teeth of a comb held at arm's length. The object appeared to move northward at a slow angular velocity. The official investigation, documented on a Project 10073 record card and supported by teletype communications, concluded that the sighting was an observation of the planet Venus. Investigators noted that Venus was at its maximum brightness (-4.3) at the time of the incident and that its position coincided with the reported sighting. Furthermore, the report suggests that atmospheric refraction likely caused the perceived distortion, color shifts, and apparent motion of the planet. The fact that the object disappeared from view at the same time the planet set was cited as primary evidence to substantiate the conclusion that the phenomenon was astronomical in nature.