Atlanta, GeorgiaMarch 1963

Insufficient Data

Summary

On March 23, 1963, at about 8 p.m., a civilian in Decatur, near Atlanta, Georgia, reported an object that seemed to float down from the sky to the northeast. The sighting lasted about 1 to 3 seconds. The witness wrote a letter describing the event to the Weather Bureau.

The object looked about one third the apparent size of the sun. It was blue and edged with gold, and round except for part pulled down into a tear drop shape, with a streamer of sparks toward the earth. It then disappeared behind rooftops.

A Weather Bureau official forwarded the letter and noted the most probable explanation was a meteor. The Air Force, in its Project 10073 record, concluded the observer probably saw a meteor entering the atmosphere, with the description and duration consistent with that finding.

Reported location

Atlanta, Georgia

Date of incident

March 1963

State / country

GA / US

Page count

3 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 47

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 3

View transcribed text

4
i
a : PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD |
£ 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
4 | O Was Balloon
4 23 March 1963 Atlanta, Georgia EL roptrly. Ban seh
—_— ———————————————|0 Possibly Balloon
; 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION
Gadel UUW (0 B2Ground- Visual DO Ground-Radar a Boba Ain
ia 24/01002 : BATS Visa! O Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft
Tn oe rs EE a re aE LE ee ee REE Was Astronomical Meteor
O Yes u] Probably Astronomical
— | Civilian DO Possibly Astronomical
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 3 NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE oo) 1 1, Te RE RE
O Insufficient Dato for Evaluation
: 0 Unknown
1-3 seconds one | descending ERE So DRC,
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
Object viewed to the NE which gave th Observer probably saw a meteor
impression of tloating down from entering the atmosphere to the
| the sky, Size estimated at 1/3 size NE which gave the impression of
‘sun, Blue and edged with gold. Round descending. Description and dura
except for portion pulled down into tion consistent with this analy-
a Lear-drop shape, sis. Also evaluated as a meteor-
like object by WX bureau official
who forwarded the initial letter
from the witness.
|
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
CR eR

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 29000472