Lorton, VirginiaApril 1963

Insufficient Data

Summary

On April 26, 1963, a civilian woman in Lorton, Virginia, reported a moon shaped object about 10 feet across. She was sunbathing and watching clouds at the Springfield Farm location. The object looked green in clear light and blue through sunglasses, turning red as clouds passed. She watched it on and off for about an hour, in the southeast.

The object seemed to descend toward the ground and then ascend, repeating several times, and finally disappeared as a red glare. A science adviser and an Air Force major interviewed her in June. She then said the object stayed in a fixed position relative to the sun and that the movement was confined to an area about 20 to 30 degrees below the sun.

The investigators found the witness uncritical and her account uncertain. The Air Force, in its Project 10073 record, concluded the sighting was a sun dog, a bright spot caused by sunlight in the sky.

Reported location

Lorton, Virginia

Date of incident

April 1963

State / country

VA / US

Page count

6 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 47

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 6

View transcribed text

&
PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
FE 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
4 L t Vi Fly 0 Wos Balloon
3 26 April 1963 orton irginia O Probably Balloon
4 Se a mm Possibly Balloon
i 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION
| Local 72 Ck oh LC & Ground- Visual 0 Ground-Rudar a BRBSLY Aiverdh
FE CMT 26/ 18432 J 0 Air- Visual 0 Air-Intercept Radar 0 Possibly Airceafs
= 5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE DO Was Astronomical
4 GC Yes O Probably a taneal
5 ou ivilian 0 Possibly Astronomical
£8 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE ¥X Other Sun Dog
4 0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation
E O Unknown
. SE Mb RR Sl SCR SEAR oc {SIRE Ar: Go 03 01 b oh RU EB CE PY SOREN
FE 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
Ee Moonshaped obj about 10 ft in dia- Investigation by Dr. Hynek and
E | meter with gre2n in clear light and | Major Coleman revealed that obj
4 blue through sunglasses turning | vas viewad for about 1 hr instead
EF | to red as clouds passed. 0O%j viewed of three as in initial rpt. And |
3 | on and off over one hour duration, that the movement was confined
: i Observed in SE ascending and to an area about 20-30 dgr helaw
descending, the sun, Obj did not change its
4 i elationship w/sun and sighting
3 | elieved due to sun dog.
| |
: | |
| [ SE ET IE SE
: x ATIC FORM 320 (REV 26 SEP 52) -

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 29000700