ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICOJuly 1952

On July 29, 1952 (2230 hours Mountain Standard Time), a military pilot stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico observed an unidentified object in the sky southwest of his position. The sighting lasted two to three minutes.

The object was described as a flattened ellipse that held steady in the sky at an elevation of approximately 20 to 25 degrees above the horizon. It began as a dull yellow color, then changed through pale yellow, yellowish white, and finally to clear white just before it disappeared. Throughout the color changes, the object appeared to emanate rays of the same changing color. There was no sound associated with the sighting.

The observer was a rated military pilot with approximately 1,500 hours of flying time. The Air Force considered his reliability to be excellent. In his detailed statement, the pilot ruled out confusion with the Kirtland Air Force Base searchlight beam, the moon, or a weather balloon. He noted the object was approximately 225 degrees bearing from his position and maintained steady elevation throughout the observation. The pilot estimated the object's horizontal width at between 2 and 4 degrees, though he believed it was closer to 3 degrees.

Weather conditions at the time included scattered clouds, with visibility of about forty miles and winds from the northwest at 7 knots. Other military and civilian aircraft were active in the area during the sighting, including T-33 aircraft test-hopping at nearby Kirtland Air Force Base.

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