Project 10073 Record: Sighting in Thomaston, Georgia, 24 April 1966

On 24 April 1966, at approximately 0945Z, two civilian witnesses in Thomaston, Georgia, reported observing an unidentified aerial object. The object was described as ball-shaped, approximately the size of a basketball at arm's length, and white in color, changing to reddish. The witnesses observed the object for one and a half hours as it moved slowly in a southeasterly direction, appearing to rotate before eventually disappearing with the onset of daylight. The incident was reported to the Thomaston Police Department, and several police officers from Thomaston, Manchester, Perry, and Barnesville also observed the object from their respective locations. The Air Force conducted an investigation, which included a radar scan by the Federal Aviation Agency (RAPCON) that yielded negative results. A U3-A aircraft was dispatched to the area, but the flight also produced negative results. Air Force investigators, specifically Mr. Howard O. Bowen and Mr. James R. Kelley from Robins Air Force Base, concluded that the witnesses likely observed the planets Venus and Saturn. This conclusion was supported by a navigator from the 58th MAS(S), who confirmed that both planets would have been visible in the southeastern sky during the time of the sighting, with Venus appearing bright and Saturn following it with a reddish hue.