Project 10073 Record — North Merrick, New York, November 9, 1968

On November 9, 1968, at approximately 2300 hours, a civilian witness in North Merrick, New York, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, who was in their backyard, described seeing a very bright red, round object that appeared to be self-luminous. The object was estimated to be at an altitude of at least 50,000 feet and appeared to be the size of a star. The witness noted that the object moved in a southerly direction at a speed estimated in the thousands of miles per hour, remaining in view for only one second before disappearing behind houses. The witness explicitly stated there was no sound, no exhaust, and no vapor trail. The weather conditions at the time were described as cloudy and overcast, with no visible stars or moon. The witness completed a formal sighting questionnaire on November 27, 1968, and provided a narrative account in a letter dated November 16, 1968. The Air Force, via Major James H. Aikman, responded to the report on November 25, 1968, acknowledging the submission and providing instructions for future reporting. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record form suggests that the observation was likely a ground light reflecting from the cloud bases.