Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message — Cambria, California, 20 December 1962

On December 20, 1962, multiple civilian observers in Cambria, California, reported a bright, luminous object in the sky. The sighting began at approximately 12:55Z and lasted for two hours and thirty-five minutes, ending as the object faded with the arrival of daylight. Witnesses described the object as changing shape from spherical to oval and cigar-shaped, with a serrated border and dark spots or holes. One witness, a commercial photographer, noted a green field surrounding the object and red emissions. The observers were initially awakened by a bright light, though there was some disagreement among them regarding whether a sound had also occurred. The object was observed to move in a westerly direction, maintaining a position relative to the moon. The Air Force investigation, documented in a staff message and a Project 10073 record card, concluded that the object was the planet Venus, which was in the reported position with a magnitude of -4.4. While one observer from a local radio station initially suggested the object was a star, the official conclusion attributed the sighting to the planet Venus.