Dayton vicinity, OhioMarch 1958

On March 6, 1958, people across the Dayton, Ohio area reported seeing a small, round, reddish object moving slowly through the early morning sky around 5:30 to 6:00 a.m. The object appeared to be between 5,000 and 10,000 feet in altitude and traveled generally toward the south and southeast.

One reliable witness was Master Sergeant Hurley from the 6th Weather Group at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He observed the object between 6:00 and 6:50 a.m., noting that it moved slowly, only about 30 degrees across the sky in seven minutes, and had a slight reddish tinge, which he thought was caused by the early rays of the sun hitting it.

The Air Force investigator checked with the U.S. Weather Service, speaking to a meteorologist named Halsey. They confirmed that wind conditions at those altitudes matched the direction and behavior of the object. A weather balloon had been released shortly after 6:00 a.m. Due to low wind speeds that morning, the balloon rose high over the Dayton area but did not drift away, which would have made it visible to people heading to work. An astronomical check ruled out any bright star or planet in that part of the sky that early in the morning. Venus, which was being discussed in local newspapers at the time, was about 20 degrees below the horizon and would have been washed out by the rising sun.

The Air Force concluded that the appearance, characteristics, and movements of the object were consistent with a weather balloon released by the U.S. Weather Service just minutes before the public began reporting sightings. The case file, comprising 8 pages of documents held by the National Archives on microfilm (T1206, Roll 32), is reproduced below in full.