Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record Card — Washington, D.C., 18 June 1961
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AI-Generated Summary
A 1961 sighting of an 'unidentified' light near the moon in Washington, D.C., was officially identified by the Air Force as the star Regulus during a near-occultation event.
On the evening of June 18, 1961, a civilian witness in Washington, D.C., reported observing an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, who was standing on a sidewalk, described seeing a single, incandescent white light that appeared to emerge from behind the moon and eventually disappear back behind it. The observation lasted approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The witness noted that the object appeared as a bright light, similar to a star or a large satellite like Echo I, and made no sound. The witness reported the incident to the Washington D.C. Star and Post Times Herald. The U.S. Air Force investigation, documented on a Project 10073 record card, concluded that the sighting was a misidentification of the star Regulus (magnitude 1.3). The report explains that while a true occultation of the star was only visible from South America, the geometry of the event as viewed from North America created the appearance of the star moving behind the moon, leading to the reported observation. The witness provided a detailed questionnaire, including sketches of the object's path relative to the moon, and maintained that the object was a point source of light with no edges.
The object could have been any object of sufficient size to reflect sunlight, any place between The Earth and the moon.
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Official Assessment
This sighting resulted from the misidentification of the bright star Regulus (mag 1.3) during the occultation which occurred on 18 Jun. This was not a true occultation because the true occultation for it could only be observed from South America. Enough of the top of the moon was visible from North America to cause the effects reported by the witnesses. It is concluded that the sighting resulted from this near occultation.
The object was identified as the star Regulus, which appeared to move behind the moon due to a near-occultation event.
Witnesses
- [illegible]Civilian