[ILLEGIBLE], February 1948 - Incident Number: 119February 1948

On February 20, 1948, several people in and around Asuncion, Paraguay reported seeing an unusual object in the sky. The sightings all occurred around 0700 hours (7 a.m.) and shared consistent details, though witnesses in different locations offered slightly different interpretations of what they had seen.

A resident of southern Asuncion described an oval-shaped object traveling from west to east. The object had a very thin tail about three feet long, with a bulkier forward section. The interior gave off green, yellow, and orange colors, and it left behind a highly colored wake. A bank employee reporting from Aregua, ten miles east of Asuncion, saw what he believed to be a meteor crossing the sky in the same direction at around the same time. Other people also witnessed it and agreed it appeared to be a meteor. Later, inhabitants of Cicervo Cua claimed to have seen a "star" fall in nearby hills. A rancher and his workers near Villa Hayes, ten miles north-northeast of Asuncion, saw a disc-shaped object giving off an intense green color, traveling west to east at a speed slower than an airplane and at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet. Its edges emitted an aureola (a glowing halo) with green being the dominant color.

The Air Force investigator noted the striking coincidence that multiple witnesses reported the same date, time, and direction of travel. In the case summary, the Air Force suggested that the widespread sightings over a large area indicated the object was likely a slow-moving meteor or fireball. The report acknowledged that one witness claiming the object was only 1,000 feet away was probably mistaken in that estimate. The case was categorized as having high probability of an astronomical explanation, specifically a meteor.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 16 pages.