Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Pori, Finland, 20 September 1963

On 20 September 1963, at approximately 2030 hours, a civilian witness in Pori, Finland, observed a strange light in the sky. The object was described as spherical with a fiery tail, traveling from the northwest to the southeast. The witness reported that the object moved at a speed slower than that of a typical meteor and produced no sound. The observation lasted for several seconds. The incident was subsequently reported in the newspaper 'Helsingin Sanomat'. Professor Yrjö Väisälä, a member of the Finnish Academy, was consulted regarding the phenomenon. He declined to comment specifically on the 'flying saucer' aspect but explained that meteors are often seen for several seconds and can sometimes appear ball-shaped with a clear tail. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card is that the object was an astronomical meteor. An Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-190-51) authored by Lt Col Howard T. Van De Car notes that while the professor's explanation is likely correct, there was a notable coincidence in the descriptions of objects reported from Pori and Mikkeli, both of which were described as circular or spherical and traveling in a northeast to southeast direction.