Project 10073 Record — Woodridge, New York, 7 July 1968

On July 7, 1968, a 15-year-old civilian in Woodridge, New York, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The observer, who was on vacation, stated that at approximately 1:30 AM, he and several others observed the Big Dipper constellation. He reported that the lower four stars of the constellation appeared to behave abnormally, with specific stars performing a 'twirling' and 'spinning' motion, followed by a change in position. The observer described the object as a self-luminous, white, star-like point of light that was solid and brighter than other stars. The observation lasted for approximately 10 minutes, during which the object moved from the north-northwest to the west-northwest, gaining in angular elevation before disappearing into the darkness at approximately 75 degrees elevation. The witness, who expressed a strong interest in UFOs and had previously written to organizations like APRO and NICAP, submitted a formal report to the Air Force. The Air Force investigated the incident under Project 10073. In a follow-up letter dated August 16, 1968, Lieutenant Colonel Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of the Aerial Phenomena Office, informed the observer that satellite records indicated the ECHO II satellite was in the vicinity at the time of the sighting. The Air Force concluded that the object was the ECHO II satellite, which would have been visible low on the horizon and would have appeared brighter than most stars due to its stellar magnitude of -1. The observer was thanked for his report and provided with additional information regarding the identification of such phenomena.