Project 10073 Record — Richland, Washington, 26 November 1966

This document is a formal Air Force Staff Message Branch report regarding a UFO sighting in Richland, Washington, on November 26, 1966. Three civilian witnesses, two 19-year-olds and one homemaker, observed a single object for approximately three and a half hours. The witnesses described the object as circular and orange when viewed with the naked eye, appearing to be the size of a half-dollar. When viewed through a telescope, the object appeared oval-shaped, grey with an orange or reddish sparking rim, and roughly the size of a baseball. The object was reported to be at 'telephone line altitude' and moved slowly westward, though it reportedly stopped at times. The observers last saw the object at a very high angle of elevation before they retired for the night. The report includes detailed weather data from the 25th Air Division, noting clear skies and unlimited visibility. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency is that the sighting was an astronomical observation of the star Rigel, which would have been visible during the time of the observation. The report notes that a weather balloon launch from Yakima, Washington, was considered but deemed not feasible as a cause due to the timing of the report.