Corpus Christi, TexasJuly 1959

Insufficient Data

Summary

In July 1959, a resident of Corpus Christi, Texas filmed what they believed was an unidentified flying object during daylight hours. The film showed a bright image that appeared consistently across multiple frames, suggesting the object was real and not a camera artifact.

Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a leading scientific consultant to the Air Force's UFO investigation program, examined the film while visiting Pasadena, California. He found the footage interesting enough to forward to the Air Force. However, Hynek noted in his analysis that the bright object might well be a light reflecting off the fuselage of an airplane passing through the frame.

When the Air Force later evaluated the film in detail, they determined that the images showed clouds, a contrail (the white trail left by jet engines), and the planet Venus. An independent evaluator reached the same conclusion: the object in the film was Venus, the bright planet visible in the daytime sky. The Air Force's official conclusion was that the sighting was Venus, not an unknown craft.

The complete case file, consisting of seven pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.

Reported location

Corpus Christi, Texas

Date of incident

July 1959

State / country

TX / US

Page count

7 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 36

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 7

View transcribed text

| a 2 ; : PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD :
1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
h i; 0 Was Balloon

28 Jul 59 orpus Christi, Texas 0 Probably Balloon

i 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION LJ FosRIBly malo

; ‘o 4 0 Was Aircraft

LRoéalyasi silo iiaia etn Lion Sas Sn) 0 Ground-VYisual O Ground-Radar Q Probably Aircraf? |

i cuT_not stated 0 Air Visual 0 Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft /

| 5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE Was Astronomical Vere i

: i Yes 0 ~ Probably Astronomical

i O No Civilian 0 Possibly Astronomical

7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE JSR 0 {21 SOR A ASABE APT

[i Insufficient Data for Evaluation

; 5 0 Unknown

; not given 1 - —-

3 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS

Dr Hynek was at Pasadena & observed Fitm net receiv r analysis,

: 1 films of purported UFO taken by Case carrj as 1insuffitedent dati.

; witness jin Corpus Christi Texas whié Woes

i photographing Venus. lamge of obj ~~

; was real & appeared on succeeding frames. [fens :

BE Possible light on a/c according to JEN

Dr Hynek.

gD £1) WN -RNUS - He

; & (8 @ \ WN \ VV\ \ xs oY i he). H DIE

: 8 mm’

7 A rr - be

1 CN 1 SEE) my end 1c,

4 "ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
| \
| :

5

/ 7

Use ← → keys to navigate · scans hosted by the U.S. National Archives

Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28983964