Long Beach, CaliforniaNovember 1957

On the night of November 6, 1957, civilians in Long Beach, California reported seeing unusual objects in the sky. The first observer described a single round, bright object about the size of a nickel, glowing in shades of blue and orange. The object moved slowly toward the west and remained visible for about 10 minutes.

Later the same evening, another observer reported seeing two bright lights, roughly the size of a quarter and bluish yellow in color. These lights were positioned about 10 degrees apart, flickered as they moved, and flew together across the sky before disappearing from view. A third sighting that night involved flickering lights seen moving to the east.

The reports came in to Long Beach Air Force Base on November 7. Weather conditions at the time were clear, with visibility of 15 miles and winds from the west at seven miles per hour. The Air Force noted that the Los Angeles area typically has several aircraft in flight on clear nights, especially during evening hours.

The Air Force concluded the sightings were probably or possibly aircraft, though one report was marked simply as unknown. The case file indicates the investigators found the characteristics of at least one sighting consistent with a weather balloon, despite the witness account of westward movement. The full case file, comprising 7 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.