Project Blue Book Case File
Dayton, OhioJune 1961
Summary
# Summary
On June 4, 1961, an observer in Dayton, Ohio, reported seeing an unusual object in the sky. The witness described it as resembling aluminum with dark edges. The object appeared stationary at an azimuth of 80 degrees (roughly east) and an elevation of about 80 degrees (high in the sky). During the sighting, the object seemed to disappear and then reappear almost immediately.
The Air Force investigator who reviewed this case concluded that the object was likely the planet Venus. The case file notes that Venus was extremely bright on June 4, 1961, with a magnitude of 4.1 (a measure of brightness in which lower numbers mean brighter objects). The investigator pointed out that Venus can appear remarkably luminous when observed under certain conditions and that most people are unfamiliar with how bright planets can seem. The investigator found that the description of the object and the long duration of the sighting were consistent with a Venus observation rather than an unknown aerial phenomenon.
The Air Force classified this case as unidentified, though the working explanation in the file strongly favored a natural explanation. The full case file, consisting of 9 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.
Reported location
Dayton, Ohio
Date of incident
June 1961
State / country
OH / US
Page count
9 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 42