Project 10073 Record: Sighting Report - Houston, Texas, 26 August 1965

On 26 August 1965, multiple law enforcement officers and civilians in the Houston, Texas area reported observing an unidentified aerial object. The initial report came from Sheriff Balis of the Fort Bend Sheriff's Office, who observed a round object, approximately the size of a dime, exhibiting red, green, and white colors. The object appeared to be rotating at the bottom and remained stationary, though it moved vertically. It was observed for approximately three hours, with the Sheriff watching it via both naked eye and binoculars. The object was estimated to be at an altitude above 10,000 feet. Other reports were received from individuals in the Houston metropolitan area. The Air Force conducted a preliminary investigation, noting that weather conditions included a significant inversion layer between 1,500 and 1,600 feet, along with haze and smoke. Radar facilities, including the local ACW radar and Houston International Tower, reported no unusual sightings, though the tower radar did detect minor anonymous propagation consistent with the inversion. The Houston Museum of Natural Science could not provide a celestial explanation. The official conclusion reached by the 2578th Air Base Squadron was that the sightings were likely caused by surface lights being reflected off the atmospheric inversion layer. Despite this conclusion, the reporting officer acknowledged that 'something was seen' but attributed the phenomenon to the specific atmospheric conditions present at the time.