Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting in Morehead, Kentucky, 28 January 1962

On the night of January 28, 1962, at approximately 9:55 P.M., a college student and amateur astronomer in Morehead, Kentucky, observed a group of 8 to 12 objects passing overhead. The witness, who was outside with a telescope and binoculars, described the objects as forming a 'V' shape with a vertex angle of approximately 130 degrees. The objects were reported to be white but dull in color, moving in a steady, westerly direction without any sound or trail. The witness noted that the objects did not fly in a perfect formation, but rather wingtip to wingtip, with one object shifting position during the 8-second observation. The witness immediately reported the sighting to a friend, who then assisted in documenting the event. The witness later plotted the path of the objects on a star map. The report was subsequently forwarded to the Air Tactical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as part of Project Blue Book. A copy was also sent to the N.I.C.A.P. organization in Washington, D.C. The official evaluation concluded that the objects were likely birds flying in a group, and that the light observed was a reflection from a nearby street light located 120 feet from the observer. This conclusion was supported by the observation that the objects' speed was consistent with that of birds (30-35 mph) and that they were traveling in the opposite direction of the wind. However, the report notes that a local professor at Morehead State College, who is a birdwatcher, was consulted and expressed skepticism, stating that the objects might have been, but probably were not, birds.