Project 10073 Record — New York, New York, 27 May 1969

This document is a Project 10073 record concerning a civilian sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon in New York, New York, on May 27, 1969. The observer, a civilian, reported waking up in the early morning hours and noticing a bright orange light through her bedroom window. She observed the object for approximately 30 minutes, noting that it appeared motionless for the first 20 minutes before beginning to move. She described the object as a bright orange, self-luminous light with sharp edges and a bright yellow light around its perimeter. She attempted to view the object with 10x50 binoculars, noting that it appeared to be the size of a grapefruit and that it moved behind telephone wires as it departed. The observer completed a 'Sighting of Unidentified Phenomena Questionnaire' on June 18, 1969, and submitted it to HQ USAF in Washington, D.C. The official conclusion reached by the investigating agency, FTD, was that the object was the planet Mars. The analysis provided in the record notes that at 0445 EDT, Mars was at an azimuth of 230 degrees with 11 degrees of elevation, and by 0515 EDT, it had shifted to an azimuth of 236 degrees with 7 degrees of elevation, with a stellar magnitude of -1.9 that night.