Project Blue Book Case File
JACKSONVILLE FLA, July 1952July 1952
Summary
On the evening of July 23, 1952, a civilian couple standing at Lake Forest, northwest of Jacksonville, Florida, watched a glowing object cross the sky. The object appeared as a globe of yellow light traveling from the northern horizon to the southern horizon, passing west of their position. It moved much faster than an F-84 fighter jet, the couple said, with sound trailing far behind it. They observed the object for three to four minutes as it passed at an altitude between 2,000 and 3,000 feet.
The object had no visible navigation or recognition lights. Its exact shape could not be determined, though it appeared the same when viewed from all angles. The couple, identified as Mr. and Mrs. I. A. Shropshire, reported their sighting to Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center, which forwarded the information to Maxwell Flight Service Center. The report was filed on the same day.
In their comments on the case, the preparing officers noted that the observation could rule out some explanations. The statement that the object appeared identical from all headings, they wrote, would seem to eliminate a jet or rocket exhaust. However, the file does not provide a formal conclusion about what the object was. The weather conditions at Jacksonville at the time showed clear skies, fifteen mile visibility, and light west winds at seven miles per hour.
The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, containing 8 pages.
Reported location
JACKSONVILLE FLA, July 1952
Date of incident
July 1952
State / country
? / XX
Page count
8 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 12