Kensington, MarylandSeptember 1954

On the evening of September 27, 1954, a civilian employee of the Marine Corps in Kensington, Maryland, spotted an unusual yellowish amber light in the sky through a screened window. The object appeared to change shape, flattening into an oval form. It hung in the southwestern sky, not particularly bright, and moved in an irregular pattern that seemed unusual for that part of the sky. The witness watched it for about thirty-five minutes as it drifted downward toward the western horizon. A second person at the same address, listed as Mrs. [name redacted], confirmed the sighting.

The Air Force investigated by checking with the Washington National Control Tower for any air traffic in the area. The tower reported no unusual aircraft activity and asked outbound pilots to watch for sightings, but none responded with observations by the next day. Weather conditions at the time were clear with unlimited visibility. Surface winds were calm, though winds at 18,200 feet were light.

Lt. Col. T.M. Bailey, the duty officer for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, concluded that the object was likely astronomical in nature, noting that the long duration of the observation suggested a celestial object. He also suggested that viewing the object through a screened window might have created optical effects that distorted its apparent color and motion. The Air Force's official evaluation of the case was "unknown," though the summary section indicates the sighting was consistent with the planet Mars based on the description provided.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consisting of 7 scanned pages.