Brooklyn, New YorkOctober 1957

On the night of October 19, 1957, residents of Brooklyn and Long Island, New York reported seeing unusual objects in the sky. The sightings occurred amid widespread public interest in the Soviet satellite Sputnik, which had launched earlier that month, and observers were actively watching the skies for it.

In Brooklyn, near Floyd Bennett Naval Air Station, trained observers including an electrician and flight instructor using binoculars saw between 8 or 9 objects that appeared to blink like a star. The objects varied in size, from the size of a pin to a nickel. They moved in a 45-degree arc toward the south, then at the same angle toward the north, before disappearing behind the New York City skyline. The sighting lasted 35 seconds, followed by a 3-minute observation period. The sky was clear, with surface winds from the north-northwest at 25 knots.

A separate sighting on Long Island the same night involved several round objects with a green appearance resembling flares. These objects appeared low on the horizon, seemed to remain stationary, and then faded from view. The observers watched for several seconds. The night was clear with unlimited visibility.

The Air Force investigated both sightings. In the Brooklyn case, the file notes insufficient data for a definitive evaluation. For the Long Island sighting, the investigators concluded it was probably a meteor. No photographs were taken of either sighting. The full case file, comprising 7 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.