Project Blue Book Case File
Dover AFB, DelawareMarch 1953
Summary
On March 1, 1953, between about 2135 and 2145 (9:35 to 9:45 p.m.) Eastern time, six Air Force men reported a bright object over Dover, Delaware. Five of the six were rated officers. They watched from the Dover Air Force Base control tower.
The object was a single bright sphere of changing colors, estimated about 50 feet across and five to ten miles away. The top half looked like the color of a full moon. The bottom half kept changing from yellow to dark red to deep orange. It showed relatively no speed and no sound. It was at 270 degrees, about 5 degrees above the horizon. The men watched it with and without 10 power glasses until it faded out or moved away.
A pilot on alert asked to scramble and chase the object, but the 26th Air Division denied permission. There was no air traffic in the area. One nearby airport suggested the object was the planet Jupiter. The Air Force conclusion field on the card was left blank in the OCR, but the report notes the planet Jupiter as the offered explanation.
Reported location
Dover AFB, Delaware
Date of incident
March 1953
State / country
DE / US
Page count
6 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 17