Project Blue Book Case File
Kettering, OhioAugust 1962
Summary
In August 1962, someone in Kettering, Ohio saw a bright light on the western horizon that caught the Air Force's attention. The object appeared about the size of a bright star, but brighter than the planet Echo (an early satellite). The light was hazy and flickered, shifting between red and possibly green colors. It moved faster than a typical satellite, though it stopped at times and changed colors. The observer watched it for about seven to ten minutes as it appeared to approach their position before disappearing below the horizon.
The Air Force investigator's notes suggest the sighting had characteristics typical of how stars and planets can appear to shift and refract as they set on the horizon. The case file indicates that Venus was setting at the time of the observation, positioned at roughly 270 degrees (due west). Venus was two magnitudes brighter than the star Arcturus, which was visible at 285 degrees azimuth (roughly west-northwest) at 25 degrees elevation. The reported object was seen at 285 degrees azimuth and 110 degrees elevation, according to one note, though the file contains some conflicting bearing measurements that are difficult to parse in the OCR.
Based on these details, the Air Force concluded the sighting was likely astronomical in origin. The file notes that the object's apparent motion and color changes fit the pattern of an astronomical body disappearing below the horizon as atmospheric refraction bent its light. The investigator marked the case as involving an astronomical object, though the exact celestial body identified remains somewhat unclear in the OCR text.
The full case file, comprising nine pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.
Reported location
Kettering, Ohio
Date of incident
August 1962
State / country
OH / US
Page count
9 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 46