Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Staff Message — 1 March 1961

On March 1, 1961, at approximately 2050 local time, a white, circular object was observed by a farmer near Spring Brook, North Dakota. The sighting was also reported by the Chief of Police in Tioga, North Dakota. The object, described as having a nickel-like appearance and extreme brightness, was observed for 15 to 20 minutes. It appeared on the horizon in the northwest, moved in a north-south direction, and eventually descended below the horizon. The incident was reported to the 780th ACWRON at Fortuna AFS, Montana, and subsequently documented via a Project 10073 record card and an incoming staff message. The official evaluation, conducted by the Air Technical Intelligence Center, concluded that the object was the planet Venus. Investigators noted that the sighting occurred in the direction of Venus, which had a magnitude of -4.3 at the time. They attributed the reported motion and distortion of the object to atmospheric refraction and noted that the sighting coincided with the setting of the planet. The report indicates that photographs of the object were expected to be forwarded by the Williston, North Dakota, Police Department.