Houston, TexasAugust 1949

On August 31, 1949, two civilians in Houston, Texas, reported seeing a single object in the sky. The time was about 11:40 p.m. local time. The men were on duty at a power plant and were watching a storm from a third floor window when the object drew their attention. They saw it for about five to ten seconds.

The witnesses, both electrical engineers, described the object as a ball of fire about the size of an orange held at arm's length, with a color like an arc weld. It appeared bluish green and very bright. It came from the northeast and crossed in a straight line to the southwest at an estimated altitude of about 5,000 feet. They estimated it was 8 to 10 miles away. It left no trail, made no sound, and gave off no odor. The fire was steady and did not flicker at the edges. It simply disappeared into the southwest.

The weather that night included a thunderstorm with occasional lightning, though none close to the object. On the Air Force record for unidentified flying object reports (Project 10073), the conclusion was astronomical, listed as a meteor.