Indianapolis, IndianaAugust 1960

Unidentified

Summary

On the night of August 31, 1960, a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana observed a bright object in the sky for approximately four and a half hours. The object appeared slightly larger than a pinhead when held at arm's length. It changed colors repeatedly, shifting between vivid purple, red, and amber. Two or three times during the observation, two smaller green specks appeared, one on each side of the main object. Occasionally a light seemed to fade downward from the object.

The witness was located outdoors in the residential section of Indianapolis. The sky that night was clear. The observation took place during night hours when many stars were visible, and the Air Force file notes that two first-magnitude stars and the planet Mars were near the horizon to the west. A temperature inversion was present in the atmosphere, a weather condition where a layer of warm air sits above cooler air near the ground.

The Air Force investigated this sighting and concluded it was probably astronomical in nature. According to the file's analysis, the temperature inversion would have caused celestial bodies to appear higher in the sky than they actually were. The same atmospheric condition would also explain the color changes the witness observed. The file states that these factors were "probably the cause for the sighting."

The U.S. Air Force officially rated this case as unidentified, meaning they made no definitive determination about what the object was, though their comments suggest they favored an astronomical explanation. The complete case file, as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below across 11 pages.

Reported location

Indianapolis, Indiana

Date of incident

August 1960

State / country

IN / US

Page count

11 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 39

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 11

View transcribed text

i 1 i
: \ PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
| ——————— EB ee ee A A Sr inst,
B | 1. Date 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS |
E | 31 Aug 60 Indianapolis, Indiana 0 Wos Bolioon
rE | 0 Probably Bolloon
k ee eee D .
| | oaTeTie oRous 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION E.Youney wee
b NO00-0130 O Wos Aiveraft
: SIR "A.A". Aer =F I0 |. SRN . A
3 Local im BH Greund- Visual 0 Ground-Rodar Q Probably Aircraft
4 BN REAR TR Ra, 0 AirVisvel 3 Air-intarcep) Rador 0 Possibly Airersh
E | 5. PHOTOS 3. SOURCE Do Was Astronomicol Pi F ' \
p i Q Yes : Las id Probobly Astrenomicol ( /./
] IN) Civilian O Possibly Astronomical :
L | 7. LENGTH OF OBSERYATION 3. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE 0 OMe dooce
4 | OD Insufficient Dote for Evaiuation
; ; 4 1/2 hrs 17 stationary O Unknown
EE TE RS. EE ee
© 110, BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
3 11 LT objects slightly larger than pinhead; There were two lst magnitude stars and
E | | changed color--vivid purple, red, amber. the planet Mars nsar the horizon to the
iF [2 or 3 times two smaller green specks appeared, |W plus a temperature invarsion. The
1 i one on 2ach side. Occasionally a light would inversion would cause “he astro bodies
3 | faine down. to appear higher than they actually were |
- and would 3130 cause the color changes,
| This is probably the cause for the stent ide.
BE |
| |
E El Sita eR SE TE AA
E ATIC PORM 329 (RPV 26 3EP 22)
4 :
g ;
FE
| :
p! .

/ 11

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28988651