40N 173W (PACIFIC), November 1961November 1961

Insufficient Data

Summary

In late November 1961, someone aboard a ship or aircraft in the Pacific Ocean reported seeing a bright object low on the southern horizon. The sighting occurred at coordinates 40 degrees north, 173 degrees west, roughly 700 miles east of Japan. The object appeared with the brightness of a second magnitude star (moderately bright, visible to the naked eye). An observer watched it descend across the sky, starting about 25 degrees above the horizon and disappearing below it after roughly 10 minutes. The altitude and speed of the object could not be determined.

The Air Force received this report and included it in their November 1961 sighting summary. However, the official evaluation forms indicate insufficient data for evaluation. The case file includes a Science News Letter from October 1961 discussing visible planets and meteor showers in the night sky during that month and November, though it is unclear whether this was included as background information or as analysis of the sighting itself.

No radar confirmation, weather analysis, or detailed investigative follow-up appears in the file. The Air Force made no conclusion about the object's identity. The case was marked as unknown and filed with other Pacific Ocean sightings from the same reporting period.

The complete 10-page case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.

Reported location

40N 173W (PACIFIC), November 1961

Date of incident

November 1961

State / country

? / XX

Page count

10 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 44

4 0 \ PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD 1. DATE ; x 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS 1 , 0 Wos Balloon { 29 Nov 61 LON 173W £: Fhci Ere ) O Probably Balloon 1 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION ated tad coed b p i 0 Was Aircraft 3 hie rm ee Ground- Visual DO Ground-Reodar Q Probably Aircraft 3 SE oy OE A ea 0 Air Visvol 0 Air-Intercept Rodar 0 Possibly Aircraft i 5. PHOTOS : » SOURCE 0 Was Astronomical 4 0 Yes 0 Probably Astronomical 4 “8 Ne Military 0 Possibly Astronomical 9 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE BY OIL ia) ciiiiconbiniiaaioo : TF Insufficient Data for Evaluation ; ] i i - 0 Unknown 4 10 nin oy fo! : 3 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING __ vis report of UXO due [1. comMmeENTs-imited info. Descriptica °F 3 S with intensity of 224 mag star. Observed oc jt too incomplete for evaluation. E 25° above horizon de:zzsnding into horizon in Cese listed as insufficient data. E 10 min. Speed and zl-l%ude unknown, 3 ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SRP $2) 3 3 ; : i