Camp Carmel, Dunbar, Pa., July 1962July 1962

On the evening of July 18, 1962, at about 10:30 p.m., a 20-year-old man observing stars as a hobby saw two bright objects moving across the sky above Camp Carmel near Dunbar, Pennsylvania. He was outside in clear conditions under bright moonlight when he first spotted them. The objects appeared as thick discs with silvery metallic surfaces that emitted light. To his eye they looked about the size of a pin head held at arm's length, though he guessed they might actually be around 700 feet across. Looking through binoculars, he saw they were blue and white in color, but to his naked eye they appeared white.

The two objects moved slowly across the northern sky over the course of about 10 minutes. The first object appeared in the constellation Draco and traced a path southward into Hercules, then curving eastward toward Lyra, where it made a tight circle before continuing east through Cygnus and into Pegasus until it disappeared into gathering fog. The second object appeared in Coma Berenices and moved through Bootes. Both objects appeared to stand still at times, changed brightness, and flickered or pulsated during the sighting. The first object produced a sound during the first minute of observation, though the witness could not hear any sound from the second one. After about 15 minutes, the witness reported that jet planes appeared overhead, apparently searching for the objects.

The witness completed a detailed Air Force technical information form on July 19, 1962, and mailed it to the Air Force. He was a college student with one year of education and special training in astronomy. The form indicates the Air Force evaluated the sighting as "probably balloon," though the basis for this conclusion does not appear in the witness' account or the file materials. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages of microfilm.