Project 10073 Record: Sighting Report - Corpus Christi, Texas, 18 November 1966

On November 18, 1966, a civilian observer in Corpus Christi, Texas, reported a round, white-to-blue-green object with a small red tail on its bottom side. The observer, a service manager at a Firestone store, was watching a meteor shower when the object was first sighted at approximately 3 degrees above the eastern horizon. The object was observed for one hour and 20 minutes, during which time it climbed slowly to 20 degrees above the horizon. The observer utilized an 8-power telescope during the sighting. The report was initially processed by the Command Post Duty Officer at Laredo Air Force Base and forwarded to the Foreign Technology Division of the Air Force Systems Command. Initial confusion at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station led to conflicting reports, with one officer suggesting the object was Saturn. However, further investigation by Lt. Pearson of the Corpus Christi NAS concluded that the object was likely an astronomical body, specifically Sirius or Jupiter, which were rising in that quadrant at the time. The official conclusion of the report is that the sighting was a misidentification of Sirius, noted as the brightest star in the sky and a frequent source of UFO reports.