UFO Sighting Report — Des Moines, Iowa, 5 August 1965

On 5 August 1965, a 15-year-old youth and his father, a 36-year-old mechanic, observed an unidentified aerial object in the vicinity of Des Moines, Iowa. The initial report described a yellow, oval-shaped object with four to five windows that changed color to orange and then blue-green. The witnesses reported that the object was initially at an altitude of 18,000 to 20,000 feet and eventually disappeared at 8,000 feet. The object was observed for two hours and fifteen minutes, moving in a slightly erratic course from the southwest to the north before fading from view. The witnesses initially observed the object with the naked eye, later using binoculars, which reportedly caused the glowing feature of the object to become less evident. The report notes that there was no sound, no exhaust, and no physical evidence associated with the sighting. The 788th Radar Squadron, which prepared the intelligence report, concluded that the sighting was likely astronomical in nature. Specifically, the report suggests that the stars Antares and Arcturus were in the vicinity of the reported position, with Arcturus being more closely associated with the reported characteristics. The investigating officer attributed the specific details and features described by the youth to his imagination.