Project 10073 Record — Alexandria, La., 26 August 1965

On August 26, 1965, two civilians in Alexandria, Louisiana, reported observing an unidentified aerial object for approximately 90 minutes. The witnesses, a 35-year-old real estate agent and a 19-year-old woman, observed the object while sitting in a car. They described the object as star-shaped, roughly the size of a quarter held at arm's length, and white-yellow in color, with occasional red color changes. The object was reported to be at a 40-degree elevation in the West. The witnesses claimed the object was generally stationary but exhibited erratic behavior, appearing to 'jump around' in a South-North direction and back and forth, and it reportedly brightened and dimmed repeatedly. The investigation was conducted by Lieutenant Kenneth F. Rudola of the 41st TFW. In his report, Lt. Rudola noted that while the witnesses were confident in their observation, they were unable to provide a precise description of the object. The official conclusion reached by the project was that the sighting was likely an observation of the star Arcturus, which was at a 30-degree elevation and 275-degree azimuth near the reported position. The investigator acknowledged that while the possibility of an aircraft could not be entirely ruled out, such an explanation would not account for the erratic movements described by the witnesses over the 90-minute duration.