Project Blue Book Case File
Las Cruces, New MexicoJuly 1958
Summary
On July 25, 1958, a leading astronomer near Las Cruces, New Mexico, reported an extremely bright object at 8:27 p.m. Mountain Time. He described an object far brighter than any planet, with a four-degree-long tail that emitted sparks. It traveled across a wide arc of sky, covering about 100 degrees in roughly 20 seconds, which works out to about 5 degrees per second. Several people saw it.
The astronomer noted the motion was almost too slow for a meteor and called it a borderline case. A scientist who reviewed the data still favored the slow-meteor explanation, while keeping a list of similar bright, slow-moving objects. The report compared this event with other recent sightings, including one near Portland, Oregon. The Air Force conclusion on the Project 10073 record card was astronomical, listed as a confirmed meteor sighting. Project 10073 was the Air Force's official record for unidentified flying object reports.
Reported location
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Date of incident
July 1958
State / country
NM / US
Page count
3 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 33