Baffin Island, Canada, December 1957December 1957

Insufficient Data

Summary

On December 3 and 4, 1957, military personnel at Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island, Canada reported seeing a round object in the sky during dusk hours. The object was described as roughly the size of a dime, with an orange and yellow color on top and red at the bottom. Witnesses observed the object for approximately 45 minutes as it moved away.

The sighting was investigated by the U.S. Air Force's Air Defense Command. Weather personnel from the region noted that weather balloons were released daily from the Egedesminde Danish weather station on the west coast of Greenland. According to their analysis, the wind conditions on December 3 and 4 would have carried these balloons over Frobisher Bay at approximately the time of the reported sightings.

Based on this meteorological information, the Air Force concluded the object was most likely a weather balloon that had drifted into the area from Greenland. The description, timing, and wind patterns all aligned with the balloon hypothesis.

The complete case file, comprising 11 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.

Reported location

Baffin Island, Canada, December 1957

Date of incident

December 1957

State / country

? / XX

Page count

11 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 31

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 11

View transcribed text

~~ 5
2 \
; PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD Tad
fee  TaNeckton TE a conecusions.
ke AR C{ Was Balloon
3-4 December 19357 Bafiin Island, Canada O Probably Balloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION 0 Possibly Balloon
4 ¥ O Was Aircraft
Local (Fe ts LD x8 Ground-Visvol Q Ground Rader (= | Probably Aireraft
GMT 03-04/2100 dusk O AirVisuol 0 Air-Intercept Radar |D Possibly Aircraft
S. PHOTOS 5. SOURCE DO Was Astronomical
O Yes Q Probobly Astronomical
O:Ne Military 0 Possibly Astronomical
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 6. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE [= JET 0 [1,71 JE AE NE
. 0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation
g 0 Unknown 5
45 minutes one
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
One object, round, size of dime, color | Re Msg CONADCC 0329 WX people
orange and yellow on top and red at state WX Dalloons released
bottom. Cloud layer, also sighting daily from Dgedesminde Danish :
on previocus day, wX on west coast Greenland,
also state winds on 3 and 4
December would have brought
these halloons over area of |
Bighting,
ATIC FORM 3129 (REV 26 SEP 32)
/
’ : : : .
4 PRR RT STO SEN Abed aT RAT ON RRS A A i ASABE eh i t

/ 11

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28975683