Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record — Houston, Texas, 24 May 1966
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AI-Generated Summary
A 1966 sighting of an unidentified object in Houston was investigated and officially attributed to an optical illusion caused by a strong temperature inversion reflecting ground lights.
On May 24, 1966, five civilian witnesses in Houston, Texas, observed an unidentified aerial object for approximately one hour. The object was described as oval-shaped, measuring 30 to 50 feet in length, with points at the top and bottom. It displayed a brilliant white light that was difficult to look at, with additional blue, red, and green lights on its ends and surfaces. The witnesses observed the object through 7x50 binoculars, noting that it moved in various directions—left, right, forward, and back—before returning to its original position. Eventually, the object performed a forward and climbing maneuver at a 45-degree angle, appearing to break into two or three parts described as 'dripping lights' before moving in an easterly direction toward the rising sun. Investigation by authorities, supported by weather records from Ellington, identified an extremely strong temperature inversion between 3000 and 5000 feet, which caused significant false echoes on weather radar. The official conclusion reached was that the sighting was an optical illusion caused by the reflection of ground lights off this inversion layer, which was further affected by the rising sun and the object's movement over Galveston Bay.
While performing this maneuver, the object appeared to break up into 2 or 3 parts which were bright lights and were described by the viewer as 'dripping lights'.
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Official Assessment
The UFO was, in all probability, an optical illusion created by reflections of lights from the ground off the inversion. The object appeared to rise as the inversion layer rose when it was effected by the rising sun. The object appeared to 'break up' either due to the dissipation of the inversion layer due to the reaction of the rising sun or the movement of the layer over the body of water (Galveston Bay) east of Houston.
The sighting was attributed to an optical illusion caused by a strong temperature inversion layer reflecting ground lights.