Project 10073 Record: Comet Ikeya-Seki

This document is a compilation of records and press materials concerning the observation of Comet Ikeya-Seki in October 1965. The primary record is a Project 10073 form, which classifies the sighting as a comet. The file includes a Department of the Air Force staff message (AF IN 55787) dated October 26, 1965, which documents a CIRVIS report from two aircraft (MATS 90528 and MATS 10092). The pilots reported seeing a large searchlight-like object pointing skyward, which was later tentatively identified by Mr. Bronson of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu as the Ikeya-Seki comet. The document also contains several pages of press clippings and articles from 'Sky and Telescope' magazine, which provide detailed scientific accounts of the comet's discovery, its path, and its appearance. These articles feature photographs and observations from various professional and amateur astronomers across the globe, including locations in Japan, Mexico, the United States, and South Africa. The scientific reports describe the comet's brightness, its tail structure, and its perihelion passage. The document serves as a record of the government's investigation into the reports, confirming that the phenomena observed were astronomical in nature.