Eklutna, AlaskaJanuary 1953

On January 22, 1953, six women in the Eklutna Trailer Court near Anchorage, Alaska watched an unusual object in the sky for approximately two hours. The object appeared bright and aluminum-colored, about twice the size of a star. When viewed through binoculars, it looked round rather than angular. The women estimated it was at an elevation of about 30 degrees above the horizon, initially spotted to the south, and it moved slowly westward over the course of the observation before fading from view as twilight approached.

The witnesses reported seeing a vapor-like substance beneath the object that seemed to shift colors from blue-yellow to red-yellow. Shortly after the initial sighting, they also reported a separate black object that flashed between two mountain peaks at high speed, though investigating officers suspected this might have been a bird. The women noted the object made no sound and left no trail or exhaust. All of the observers had lived in Alaska for more than seven years and were familiar with aircraft, jets, and helicopters. They stated that what they saw was entirely different from any conventional aircraft.

Weather conditions during the sighting were clear with excellent visibility. The investigators noted that no weather balloons had been released in the area at that time. In their analysis, officers from the U.S. Air Force's Alaska Command considered whether the object could have been the planet Venus, which was located in that sector of the sky and is visible as a bright, star-like point. However, they noted that the observers did not see the object again the following day despite similar weather conditions. The full case file of 12 pages is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.