Project 10073 Record Card — Champaign, Illinois, 5 June 1961

On June 5, 1961, at 0505Z, two observers in Champaign, Illinois, reported a sighting of eight round, bright white objects moving in a V-formation. The observers, who were lying on the roof of a home, initially believed they were seeing unidentified aerial phenomena. The objects were described as moving in a straight line from the southeast to the northwest, with the entire event lasting approximately 30 seconds. The witnesses noted that the objects appeared to be the size of a half-dollar when viewed from their position. Following the report, an investigation was conducted by an instructor from the Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course. The investigation included interviews with both witnesses. The investigating officer concluded that the objects were not aircraft, as Chicago Center confirmed there was no known air traffic in the area at the time. Instead, the investigator determined that the witnesses had likely observed the constellation Bootes, specifically the first-magnitude star Arcturus. The report suggests that the witnesses experienced an optical illusion; because they were looking straight up without a fixed reference point, the movement of clouds across the sky in a southeasterly direction created the false impression that the star was moving toward the northwest. The official record card for Project 10073 categorizes the event as an explained sighting, attributing the observation to astronomical phenomena.