PROJECT 10073 RcCC~D Hollom.:m AFB, New Irex:ico ~ 3. SOURCE 10. CONCLUSION t Civiliun Astro (STARS/PL 2TS) Disappeared behir.d clouC.s. - 5. LENGTH OF OCSEriVATION 6. TYPE OF 03SE~VATION I Gro::.nd-Visual Stationary 11. SRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS Observer sigpted an object that \':as l-rhite with a greenish tinge. It was shaped like a fuzz.y star. The object appear ed i.~ the East. It was stationary. The observer v1a s Dr ;.~cnzel of Harvartle He believed it to be s ome sort of astronomical phenomena. l O. PHOTOS 9. PHYS1CAL EVIDENCE ONClASSJFJ,..~ I wear glaaaea, bifocals, I turned and shifted my head to JMke .-aure that the phenomenon was real. I lowered the window another tum or two. The patches remained. I was still unaware that the phenomonon was exceptional until the southern object auddenly disappeared. I then asked the driver to atop the car, but the northern object vanished at that JDOment. The northern one had been slightly brighter. At ~ ...... II bril.lianoe the patches must have been of zero to first stellar magnitude. The color was white possibly with a greenish tinge. They endured for about 4 minutes, during which time the car travelling at 50 miles per. hour, covered at least 3 miles. During that period, I am sure that the direction ot the object did not change by more than 20. I would prefer to sa:t that the change was not more than 1. Uith a base line or 3 miles, this latter figure indicates that the objects were at least 180 miles away, that their separation in space was at least 9 miles and that the diameter was about 3/4 ot a mila. There 1 a bare possibility that the patches clouds, but the beharlous was unusual to say the least. The whole phenomenon ia puzmling. It may han same simple explanation, but there seems to be no completel.Jr satisfactory theory avail able. I report the event tor future records. Huvard Obaenato17 Cambridge 38, llasa UNCLASSIFIED INCIDENT NO 1. Date or Observation l2;;;;;;]2;;....;;.Jia.-..Y...;l-.. 9--Date of IntervitJw -------- 2. Exact Time (local) 3. Place of Observation BollatWl AF 4. Position or observer Oroua.S 1n auto 5 Ylha.t attracted attention to object \1h1l.e watching m~l 6. Number of objects 2 7 Apparent size g. Color of object J4 ke Fuzzy star 10. Altitude abow Horizon Direction from observer East Distance from observer lnO miles a~ 13. Direction of flight of object{s} 1.4. Time in sight 16. Sound and odor lS. Luminosity 0 lot Sto]lnr Ya(?J11tude 19. Projections 20. Maneuvers 21. l~nnor of disappoaranco 22. Effect on Clouds 23. Additional information concerning objoct 24. .,loa. thor Condit ions Pull moon aq br1.,. UNCLASSlFlED UN.Cl:A.SSlFIED ( HOIJ~MAN AIR FORCE BASE RRPORl' OF AN UNUSUAL (?) NATURAL (? ) PHENOMJmON TOa 11HOK 1'1' UAI CONCERN On the night ot May 12, 1949, while enroute fran Holloman Air Force Base to Alamogordo, New lJ:exico, in a two door sedan, I noted an atmospheric or celestial (?) phenomenon that I have been unable to explain. I am still not entirely convinced that what I saw mq not have been an optical illusion ot an unusual character. Short1y after leaving Holloman Base, I looked out toward the Sacramento Range to the East. The time was about 9 :30 possibly as early as 9:15. I was watching the moon rise. At the moment, the moon had an altitude ot perhaps 150 -180 above the top of the Sacramento ridge. The moon was nearly ful 1 and the sky v.ras bright. I was interested therefore, to see a bright star, perhaps 60 -so East from the moon. I wondered what the star was. V~en the sky is so bright that the fainter stars do not show, tind it hard to locate the constellations. The star had a faint reddish Aa I watched tor a minute or two, I became conscious of another star considerably nearer the horizon. The star had a tuzz;y appearance, caused, I thought, by law-level atmospneric haze. As I watched I noted, within halt a minute, a second star about three degrees to the South ot the first. I think the Northernmost star appeared first, but am not completely a~e. 1fT first impression was that the stars were Castor and Pollux, ot Both increased in brightness rather slowly, which was not s~ prJ.sing for a pair of stars rising. I watched for perhaps nnothor nrl.nute and suddenly became conscious of the tact that the stars couldn't have been castor and Pollux, because Gemini is in the \;est rather than the East. Furthermore, the size of the fuzzy images bothered me. They were, as far ae I could tell, ver,y nearly identical in diameter, which was about on.&-e fourth the diameter of the full moon. The following picture, drawn fran memor,y about 12 hours later, depicts the approximate circumstances: lJaoo and address of obsorvor 1 Occupation and hobbiosa Comments of Interrogator ralo.tivo ~ intalligonco and character of obser"lor(s) HARRAi' Iv"B StJ1:~ Y s UNCt.ASS\f\EO tlOI.to!J~JI r.Iit FC~tCl B~Sl AL~t~n~:WO N 3' UlliCO TOt ~ilf()U lT CONCiW1H On the n1r.ht ot 1,~ l?.."'J ~'t9, uhilo ennn&o ti'Ga l~llosann Air force im.&e to AlA"DO~'Ordo, LO'<r ;.c)Xlco, in a t'ro door ood.l\.~, l ootecl an atJDOopherio or cel~at,itU. ( ~ ) phflOO~noll thllt I h:1ve boen UMble to upla1n. I ru:t still not. ontirol.;y convinced th"t what, l san r.-.v not hAw bean &n optical illusion of unum1u ch&"ctar. Shortl.J after l03Y~ t~ollomn illlaa, I lDo:r.ed out tmrvd the Sacramento !t'l!1:10, to the st. ~'!.!) tirno 1\'.ctn About. 9 &)a' r.osaihly ~a o~rl.J u 9115 e l was mtchinr, thu rcon ria e. t~t the :10t:~er.t t.tut t.100n hnd an altitude ot pem.,ps 150 -lb'<> nbova th~ top or the~ !~cranonto ridt;a. Tho moon waa n"nrlJ' full Rr.d thct s~.J YmD bri;~t. I ~ i!'ltot-ostert, toorafore, to a brigbt star, rerhape 60 -oo ::~st, from the r.)O()n. I Mmdorad \>!h:1t the star WAs. then t.he aq !a oo 1Jr!ilt, thta.t. the fainter at~rs do not show, I tind it t~ to loc.'\te t.ha conr.r'vellat1ona. The atar ll&d a rnint roddish A I watched for m dnut.o or t1t0, I contJeioua or :mother at&r cona1derAbl.7 rao~tror th hor5.on. The GtiU' hR.d a tu2zy P!PPGI.lmnce, cauaed, I thou:)lt, b7 law-level rLt. .. ~spherio httzo. /t.a I r.atched 1 rtct..Gd within halt a ml.nut,e, a eoccnd nt3J' &bout. throe de~aa to the South or the first. I think the Nort.hoi'Jk'"'~ot atar .apr~ fJ.rat., but. ana not oompl.8te~ aure. ~ t1Jst lmpreeaion utte thAt tho st~r t'ore CASt.oz-:\nd Pollux, ot Gtmlni. Doth 1ncr~usd in brii:htneel ratter elowly, which W'lD not ou~ priainp, ror Ll pair or stnra rie1n.t:. I wntcllOd rar porhrt.pa MOther clnuttl and auddonl.y bec~o corwci~U!J or tho tact th!lt tho et~ro eouldn t, h!l.W been Cauter nnd i"ollux, bocause GGClrd ia 1n tho ~:ost, rat.hor tb.,n the trt.. Furt.hor.~ro, th$ aize ot tho .f\.1~z:~' .1.:::!.~ bothered Dle '.i'l~y tMJ-8 u I could. toll, very netlr).y .lc.c~1t.ic:U in dl~mator, which Wl\8 nbout, o tourt.h tho di~er of tho fUll : :oone 'l'he fCtllo~'fL pictuN, dMlm l'ra11 ~l7 about V. boure lAter, oo".ict,.s th approxin'\te CircltnSt~llC03 & The tu~zy etAra ..-are throe or tour d<lgNoa nbove the hori~on " dotlnod h:l the mount o.in rttnee . mfC.lASSJfiED l wear R).deea, b1tocale, I turned And ah1fted rq he11d to mn.ka RN t.ha\ tho non wae N.-l.l. I 1 the windou another tum or two. 'l'he J')Atchee rern..dnG<.l. I wns fJttJ 1 um.ware th.!lt the phenomonon ma exaeptloMl until the cout!1em objoct, suddenly dlaappMred. 1 thon aakod the driver to atop the cf.lr, hut t,t-.o no~hom objJct vMiahod at thAt 110ment. The northem one had beon sllshtlJ brit~hter. ts.t tn~Ud.Jnum brilU~e tho ,P8tchea r.uot havo boon of zero to first otol.l.Ar QI\1,.Utud The color ~ w~dto poaslbl.y 'fdt~1 ~ ah tin~. they endurod tor about. 4 minuteo, durin!l hich ti.~ the car, trave~ at 50 r-.dl.o.s r:.or hour, oowred nt lenst 3 rdloo. 1:urlng that. peu-iod, I a:n 8\.lN th~t the clireation of th object did not, c!ln."\ge b)' ~re than 20 I would rrefor to aq th:lt the ct~ng mut not :x.ro than 1. ith a base Une of 3 lllil'l3, th1e latter figure indica tea t? t, the obj a were at len.st l.SO nilea ttl that. thoir oep:}ration in apace ~ at leut, 9 oilee and th~t the di~.met,"r wae about, 3/4 of a aile. . 18 a baN b1lit7 that. \he ~tohe MN cloudn, but the behaYioue unusun.l, to rrs tho lo~st. '!he whoa phenew~non ie puzling. It ~ have noete el: I'le ayplanation, but, th eoerne to be no cocpleteJ..y oat.1atactoey t,hoo~J avnilable. I "port. tho ewnt. tor ftl <,.bar'f7ltOI7 Oambr!dge 38, 14ae. UNCLASSIFIED