Project 10073 Record — Centerville, Ohio, 17 February 1966

On February 17, 1966, a civilian witness in Centerville, Ohio, reported observing an unidentified aerial object. The witness described the object as starlike but larger than a star, noting that it appeared to be stationary and seemed to whirl. The observation lasted for approximately 22 minutes. During the sighting, the witness reported hearing a whirring sound and noted that their dog barked. The sky was clear at the time of the observation. The object was initially reported to be in the East at approximately 75 degrees azimuth and 10 degrees elevation. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force investigation was that the object was the planet Venus, noting that at 0600L, Venus was at 120 degrees azimuth and 30 degrees elevation with a stellar magnitude of -4.3. The witness completed a U.S. Air Force technical information questionnaire regarding the event, confirming they were inside a building at the time and that they had not seen a similar object before.