Goat Rock, GeorgiaSeptember 1953

From September 1953 into April 1954, civilians and military witnesses reported a light over the Goat Rock area near Columbus, Georgia. An Air Force officer reported the details, and an April 1 sighting was described in depth.

The object was a circular light with fairly smooth edges, estimated at a few inches in apparent size. It was deep orange most of the time but went through a color-changing cycle, shifting from orange to pale blue to white and back, about every two seconds. It appeared in the north, low on the horizon, and moved in short straight lines in a small circular path. It seemed to gain and lose altitude, then move west until out of sight. It was usually seen between about 2400Z and 0400Z.

The object had been seen on six or eight nights since September 1953 by a captain and others. Witnesses were described as honest and reliable. The reporting officer believed it was possibly a jet aircraft on local clearance, but said the available information did not prove this. Local amateur astronomers planned to measure the object's azimuth and elevation on its next appearance. The Air Force listed the case as astronomical (a star or planet).