Alberto, Long Island NY, November 1958November 1958

On the evening of November 23, 1958, an observer in Albertson, Long Island, saw a round object in the sky that changed colors as it moved. The object appeared as large as a bright star and glowed red, green, and yellow before turning bluish and fading away. Over the course of roughly fifteen minutes, it flashed from bright to dim five times before disappearing entirely. The observer watched it move slowly from southeast to south, and at one point used binoculars to get a better view, though the binoculars showed the same details as naked-eye observation.

At least ten other people in the area reported seeing the same object during the same time. One witness was an Air Force tower operator at a nearby base, noted in the file as having excellent reliability. Radar at the base failed to pick up any signal from the object. The sighting occurred under clear skies with good visibility. Wind conditions were recorded, though the OCR text is too garbled to read the exact data clearly.

Air Force investigators considered several explanations. The file notes that the object might have been lights on a Navy dirigible (an airship), a flare held in position, or a balloon. The Air Force sent a message to check with the U.S. Navy about any night operations involving flares or dirigibles in the area at the time of the sighting. The Navy replied that no operations were scheduled in the designated warning areas (W-105 and W-106) at the time the object was seen. The case conclusion box on the cover sheet is marked "unknown."

The full case file, comprising 10 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.