Camp Pompino, Calif, December 1955December 1955

On the night of December 11, 1955, a forest ranger at Camp Pomponio, California, spotted an unusual glowing object in the eastern sky. His wife had called him outside to look at what she described as "that thing" appearing again. The ranger used binoculars and a Navy-type periscope to get a closer look at the object, which he said appeared reddish-orange to the naked eye but shifted to blue, red, and yellow when magnified.

The object remained stationary for about 10 to 15 minutes, then slowly moved eastward across the sky. Over the course of roughly an hour of observation, the ranger tracked its position carefully, using trees and a compass to mark its location. He noted that it had shifted slightly in angle, moving from 90 degrees to between 95 and 100 degrees. The ranger had also reported seeing something similar in November of that year, though he initially dismissed it as a star.

Air Force investigators checked with the Hamilton Flight Service Center for any aircraft or balloons in the area. They also contacted Lick Observatory, located on Mount Hamilton, to ask about any unusual astronomical activity during the time of the sighting. Both inquiries came back negative. The weather at Camp Pomponio that night was clear with good visibility.

The preparing officer on the case concluded the sighting was probably caused by a planet shining through a thin layer of clouds, which might have distorted its appearance. The approving officer disagreed slightly, suggesting the star Betelgeuse was a more likely explanation than an unknown planet. The officer also speculated that the ranger's periscope might have created optical distortion affecting the view. The case file lists the Air Force's final evaluation as "unknown," though the comments lean toward an astronomical explanation. The full case file, comprising nine pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.