Project 10073 Record Card and Teletype Report — Rantoul, Illinois, 7 June 1962

On 7 June 1962, at approximately 2310 local time, A/2C James A. Mahek of the 3349th Instructor Squadron at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, observed an unidentified aerial object. The witness, described as generally reliable, reported seeing a pear-shaped object, pinkish-orange in color and approximately the size of a grapefruit. The object was observed while the witness was driving home from work, appearing at an elevation of approximately 2 degrees and moving in a westerly direction. The witness noted that the object radiated light from its bottom, and that this radiation appeared larger than the object itself. The sighting lasted between three and four minutes. The report was formally submitted by the Technical Training Center at Chanute AFB on 11 June 1962, in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. The investigation concluded that the object was a misidentification of the setting moon. The report notes that the moon set at the witness's location at 2326, while the sighting occurred at 2318. The moon's position at 280 degrees, combined with atmospheric refraction and the fact that the moon was only 21% illuminated at the time, likely caused the distortion and subsequent misidentification. Captain Carl E. Jackson confirmed that there were no known flight operations at Chanute AFB at the time of the sighting that could account for the event.