Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record — Sighting Report, Pine City, Minnesota, 23 August 1965
Ever wanted to host your own late-night paranormal radio show?
Across the Airwaves
You're on the air. Callers bring Mothman, Fresno Nightcrawlers, UFO sightings, reptilian autopsies, and whispers about AATIP and Project Blue Book. Every reply shapes how the night goes.
AI-Generated Summary
A civilian reported four erratic, color-changing lights in the sky over Pine City, Minnesota, on 23 August 1965. The Air Force officially identified these objects as the stars Capella, Gamma Auriga, Aldebaran, and the planet Jupiter, attributing the observed behavior to atmospheric scintillation.
This document contains the official Air Force record and correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported by a civilian on 23 August 1965. The witness, while vacationing at a cabin near Pine City, Minnesota, observed four objects in the sky for over two hours. The witness described the objects as bright lights that changed color from vivid red to vivid green to white, moving erratically in vertical and horizontal directions before hovering. The witness reported the incident to Captain Reichmuth of the Air Force Systems Command in September 1965 and subsequently completed a formal U.S. Air Force Technical Information questionnaire. The Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base evaluated the report. Their analysis concluded that the objects were not unidentified, but rather the stars Capella, Gamma Auriga, Aldebaran, and the planet Jupiter. The Air Force attributed the reported erratic motion and color changes to 'scintillation,' an atmospheric phenomenon that causes distant objects to appear to shimmer or oscillate when viewed through an atmosphere of varying density. The file includes the original questionnaire, internal correspondence between the FTD and the Office of Information, and a formal letter from Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of Project Blue Book, informing the witness of the evaluation.
The apparent condition of these stars is characteristic of the phenomena known as scintillation. Scintillation is the apparent shimmering or oscillation of distant objects as viewed through an atmosphere of varying density.
PDF not loading? Download the PDF directly
Official Assessment
The objects which you observed have been evaluated as the stars Capella, Gamma Auriga, Aldebaran, and the planet Jupiter. The apparent condition of these stars is characteristic of the phenomena known as scintillation.
The Air Force concluded that the reported objects were astronomical bodies (Capella, Gamma Auriga, Aldebaran, and Jupiter) and that their perceived movement and color changes were due to atmospheric scintillation.
Witnesses
Key Persons
- John P. SpauldingLt Colonel, USAF, Chief, Civil Branch, Community Relations Division, Office of Information
- Eric T. de JoncgeheereColonel, USAF, Deputy for Technology and Subsystems
- ReichmuthCaptain, Air Force Systems Command, Space Systems Division