Hastings, MichiganJuly 1957

On the night of July 16, 1957, five moving lights appeared in the sky near Hastings, Michigan, startling several witnesses. The first object came into view from the west and looked about the size of a bright star. It moved in an arc from west to north, then vanished. Moments later, four smaller objects appeared and seemed to join together, separate, and rejoin several times before all of them moved off toward the northeast and disappeared below the horizon. The entire sighting lasted about 29 minutes.

Witnesses on the ground said the objects sometimes appeared brighter and sometimes dimmer. One account mentions that observers heard the sound of an approaching aircraft during the sighting. The larger object moved across the sky in a way that suggested it was traveling at a considerable distance from the ground. The four smaller objects followed a similar northeasterly path.

The Air Force investigation determined that the lights were caused by a B-47 refueling operation taking place in the area at the time. The B-47 Stratojet bomber required in-flight refueling during long missions, and these refueling operations, which involved multiple aircraft meeting in the air, could produce the unusual light patterns the witnesses observed. The case file notes that at least some of the aircraft involved in refueling operations in the area that night were using exterior lighting.

The full case file, consisting of 9 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.