Project Blue Book Case File
Donora, PennsylvaniaAugust 1956
Summary
On August 19, 1956, a civilian in Donora, Pennsylvania, reported a single object. The sighting was recorded at 0340Z (night) and lasted about one hour and thirty-five minutes, except for fifteen minutes when clouds hid it.
The main witness, an aircraft operations staff officer, gave a detailed account that was joined by other witnesses. He described one object that looked round to the naked eye and triangular through binoculars. It was about the size of the North Star or a little smaller than a dime held at arm's length, and was yellow-white. Through binoculars it showed a tail about one sixteenth the size of the object, and a reddish-brown tail on one leg. The object moved in a clockwise rectangular pattern, about 10 degrees down, 30 degrees left, 10 degrees up, and 30 degrees right, repeating the pattern several times. It would shrink to a pinhead and fade, then reappear in reverse order.
Radar sites covering the area had no contact, and a local observatory was not operating. The Air Force concluded the sighting was astronomical, the planet Mars, which matched the azimuth and elevation and the change in position over time.
Reported location
Donora, Pennsylvania
Date of incident
August 1956
State / country
PA / US
Page count
5 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 26