PROJECT BLUE BOOK

6. TYPE OF OBSERVATION

ground visual
7. COURSE

stationary
8. PHOTOS

0 Yes
Qa Ne

ASTRONOMICAL: ARCTURUS

Arcturs at 5 deg elev, 295 deg az in position to set at 2000.
Sighting characteristic of astro body.

11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS

No sound, stationary orange Light pulsating, larger than
star, slight movement in close area, observed on previous
occasions.

FTD sep 63 0-329 (TDE) previous cditions of this fore may be used.

* ——— ——

| Ee;
UNCLASSIFIED

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
WASHINGTON

THE INSPECTOR GENERAL USAF
2D DISTRICT OFFICE OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS
72 €. 10TH STREET
NEW YORK 3, NEW YORK

iN REPLY
REFER TO: Ph-0-261

SUBJECT: (Unclassified)
Unidentified Object seen in the Air
at 8:00 to 6:15nm. on 10/3/53 at
North Rome Township, Bradford County,
Pennsylvania
SPECIAL INQUIRY

TOs Commander
Air Technical Intelligence Center
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Ohio

27 JAN 1954

1. The New York Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, has
advised this district that Special Agent HAROLD K. ALIEN, Jr., has ob-
tained the following information from Mr. QQ U. S. Department
of Labor, 215 ‘iontague Street, Room 512, Brooklyn, New York:

"MP stated that while visiting at North Rome Township, Bradford
County, Pennsylvania, he observed an unidentified object in the
sky be tween 8:00 and 6:15 PeMe ON October 3, 1953. He advised
that he sighted the object from outside of his residence which is
the first house outside of North Rome Township on the road toward
Lake Wesmking, Pennsylvania. The object appeared to be abont
two miles distance and in a northwesterly direction with approxi-
mately fifteen degrees altitude over the horizon. It appeared
stationary when first sighted, but vhen sighted on a fixed object
it was found to be moved slightly sideways and up and down in a
close area. It hovered in the air similar to a helicopter. It
appeared larger than a star and was emitting an orange pulsating
light. It did not omit eny sound nor was there any exhaust stean

visible.

The object was seen by Mrs. QM same address, end also by
Segue and of North Rome Township, Bradford County,

Pennsylvania, R.F.D. #5. They all concurred with what Qi had
stated,

recalled seeing the same object at approximately the same
ation a year previously.

POWNGRADED ar? igs NTR EE

DECLALS FIN? ARS 3 hae
Ne lo I T5574

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UNCLASSIFIED

tee ede ow eg - 4 paris

-—-
—

UNCLAS2iNIED | |

2D OSI File 2h,-0-261
Ltr to? Commander, ATIC
Subj: Unidentified Object seen inthe Air ....

Mrs. @@iliMei nformed her husband that she had observed the
object in the sane location several times previously this

yom «

called a rumor that a metalic flying object was
several years previously in approximately the same
area where he had the unidentifiable object on
October 3, 1953. stated that he is available at the
United States Department of Labor, 215 Montague Street,
Brooklyn, for any additional assistance that he might
render,"

2. No investigation is contemplated by this district.

3. Information furnished herewith has been derived from sources
other than the Department of the Air Force and, in accordance with para-
graph Sf, AFR 205-1, dissemination must not be made outside USAF channels.

nrtica L Haatessany Tsp

For and in the abserce of
HARRY G. WEBER

Major, USA?

District Commander

ee ee ee eee ee

cc: Dir OSI

UNCLASSIFIED

Ee 7] 4-1 74

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Meteors in the Records

The American Meteoritics Society, whose members specialize in
the study of meteors and meteorites, for years have collected re-
ports of such phenomena. From a large enough number of good
descriptions of a given meteor, astronomers car analyze the data
mathematically and determine the meteor’s radiant—the point in
the heavens from which it seems to come. The meteor is then identi-
fied by its radiant and given an AMS number. The data were pub-
lished in Metcoritics, the journal of the society, and thus made
available for future research.

The records of the society for the years 1950 to 1955 list dozens of
fireballs, many of them green, that were somehow overlooked by
saucer enthusiasts. On August 11, 1950, during the maximum of the
Perseid shower, a blue-green fireball (AMS 2336) apparently oval-
or cigar-shaped, appeared over Washington, Oregon, and Idaho at
7:30 P.M. and was reported by more than 100 witnesses. So brilliant
that it showed a noticeable disk, it flew in a horizontal path, silently
broke into three pieces, and disappeared [8, p. 379).

September 20, the same year, was a big day for meteors. At
1:35 AM. a giant fireball (AMS 2326) roared over southeastern
Illinois from north to south, leaving a luminous train visible in five
states and illuminating the sky and countryside from St. Louis to
Louisville and from Memphis to Knoxville. The final detonation,
over western Kentucky, was heard over an area 1000 miles square
and shook buildings from Paducah to Memphis. Fragments show-
ered farms over a twenty-five mile area, struck five buildings, and
penetrated one roof. About fifty pounds of meteorites dropped in
Murray, Calloway County, Kentucky, and are now in the Smith-
sonian. Institution in Washington. That same night about 10: 45 P.a«.,

fireballs were reported by plane crews flying over a six-state area—
Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico [9,
p. 115]. Similar fireballs that vanished without trace were reported
on September 28, 1953 (AMS 2331); October 4, 1953 (AMS 2330);
—May 15, 1954; ant October 27, 1954 (AMS 2337).

— -

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Céurce:

Inforration Only

Ameri

Sen ae Teas
en aoe
—- ——_.

can Meteor Society for 1963, # 149

ee

Philadelphia,
«- & October 1953

FIREBALL OF 1953 OCTOBER 7/8

A.M.S.

No. 2377

On this date a brivht fireball or bolide was observed at 7:32 p.m.. E.S.T., by W. G.
Cleaerver at New Haven, Conn., $1, and by Leith Holloway, Philadelphia, Pa., $2,
The whole path, with a diagram, was obtained at Si and part of the path (rest ob.
scured by a building) at $2, where the path was given as vertical, and coordinates
estimated. At Si it was noted as brilliant blue, no lasting train, and that it exploded
at end. At S2 it was recorded as —5§ or ~—6 magnitude, vertical path, and that the
visible part was traversed in 3 to 4 seconds. After some trials the following data were

computed, which however must be approximate as

Sidereal time at end point

Began over

Ended over

Length of path

Projected length of path

Radiant corrected for Zenith attraction

only part of the path was seen at $2.
1953 October 7.52 G.M.T.
311°
A = 72°14', S = 40°27’ at 149 km
A = 73°00’, @ =40°19' at 91 km
65 km
63 km
a& = 257°, h =41.5°
# = 14°, & = +39°

As the radiant is only approximate no orbit is computed.

Nothing at this position and date is found in the

Hotimesier-van Niess! Catalogue.

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