Bloomfield, ConnecticutJanuary 1960

On January 11, 1960, at almost exactly 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, a resident of Bloomfield, Connecticut stepped out of his home and spotted an unusual light in the northwestern sky. The light was yellow-orange in color, slightly brighter than a first-magnitude star (a very bright star), and appeared roughly circular. The witness watched it for about 15 seconds, then called his sister to view it as well. She observed the light for about 15 seconds before going back inside because of the cold.

The light moved slowly westward over a period of 30 to 40 seconds, remaining at roughly the same angle above the horizon throughout its motion. As it moved to a position almost directly west of the observer, it began to slow down. Over the next 5 seconds, the light dimmed until it was barely visible. Ten seconds later, it disappeared entirely. The witness looked for several more minutes but did not see it again.

Within seconds of the light vanishing, the witness heard a loud rumbling sound lasting about 5 seconds, like distant thunder, coming from the direction where the object had last been seen. The witness noted that the night sky was clear with no clouds, making thunder unlikely. He also considered whether a truck on a nearby road might have caused the rumble, but found this explanation uncertain. At no point during the observation did the witness hear any sound accompanying the moving light itself, only this rumble after it disappeared.

The Air Force response to the case, found in an analysis sheet, concluded that the witness had probably seen a jet aircraft. According to the Air Force's assessment, the steady tail light of a jet can appear as a single glowing object and can be visible from angles of up to 60 degrees to either side when viewed from behind the aircraft. The rumbling sound, the Air Force suggested, could have been the noise of the same aircraft. The case file contains 15 pages of original documents, including the witness's detailed written account, a formal questionnaire with sketches, and the Air Force's technical analysis, as held by the National Archives.