PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Derry, Massachusetts, 28 April 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying memorandum dated May 12, 1961, detailing a sighting that occurred on April 28, 1961. The witness, interviewed by Alex B. Geddes of Moonwatch, reported observing an object while driving on Route 28, approximately four miles south of Derry, Massachusetts. The witness described the object as a very large, glowing entity with an intense, blinding ice-blue light, comparable to an Argon gas flame. The object traveled from east to west at an altitude between 30 and 35 degrees, moving from an azimuth of 010 degrees to 330 degrees. During the observation, the object traveled parallel to the horizon before suddenly dropping at an angle, appearing to shrink in size, and vanishing before reaching the horizon. The color shifted to orange after the trajectory change, and the object displayed a short, wide trail estimated at 15 percent of its total length. To estimate the size, the witness compared the object to a structure visible from the interview location, noting that at arm's length, the object appeared to be 1.5 inches long by 0.5 inches wide. The official conclusion recorded on the card and in the memorandum is that the object exhibited the characteristics of a slower-type evening meteor, with the observed trajectory drop attributed to atmospheric optics.