Houma, LouisianaDecember 1957

On the evening of December 1, 1957, a civilian in Houma, Louisiana spotted an unusual light in the sky. The object appeared round and multicolored, roughly the size of a baseball. It displayed colors of white, yellow, red, orange, and green as it hung in the sky. At first the light remained steady and unmoving, then it slowly descended toward the western-southwestern horizon. The witness watched for about twenty-four minutes before the object disappeared below the horizon.

The sighting was notable because it was observed again the following night under similar conditions. A military radar operator, Captain Evan D. Lvanoff of the 657th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, also observed the light on the second night. He noted that it appeared roughly twenty-two minutes earlier than on the first night, was slightly higher in the sky, and seemed brighter. Lvanoff checked with air traffic control in New Orleans and with a Texas oil company pilot in Houma to see if any aircraft were flying in the area. He found no reports of authorized flights southwest of Houma.

The Air Force investigators reviewed the case using astronomical charts and reference materials. They concluded that the object was most likely Venus, the bright planet visible in the evening sky. The description, duration of the sighting, and the flight path all matched what astronomers would expect from observing Venus under these conditions. However, the case was officially labeled as unidentified.

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