Project 10073 Record — Sighting of 5 Jan 67, Orlando, Florida

On January 5, 1967, a civilian witness in Orlando, Florida, reported observing an unidentified object in the sky. The witness first noticed the object while stopped in her automobile at the intersection of Edgewater and Mott Avenue at approximately 1915 hours. The object appeared stationary to the naked eye, but upon arriving home, the witness and her son, along with a neighbor, utilized a toy telescope to observe the object further. Through the telescope, the observers described the object as an elongated, football-shaped craft with a vertical orientation, displaying blue, white, and red colors, and exhibiting pulsating, erratic movements. The observation lasted for four hours and forty-five minutes, ending at 2345 hours. The report was investigated by MSgt Charlton K. Browning of the 1360th Air Base Group. The investigator noted that the witnesses were of average intelligence and did not appear to be seeking publicity. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, FTD (TDETR), was that the sighting was likely an astronomical observation of the star Sirius, which was positioned at an azimuth of 115 degrees and an elevation of 14 degrees at the time of the initial sighting. The investigator also suggested the possibility of a high-altitude weather balloon drifting slowly to the northwest.