Lowry AFB, ColoradoOctober 1953

On the evening of October 19, 1953, four airmen at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado reported seeing an unidentified bright object moving across the sky. The witnesses were stationed near the service club around 1935 hours (7:35 p.m.) when they spotted a whitish-yellow light that seemed to move erratically overhead. The object was visible for approximately ten to twelve minutes, changing between bright white and yellowish colors as it moved generally northward across the base. The airmen described the light as circular in shape, traveling in a jerky, spiraling pattern with occasional stops and starts. It made no sound and cast no light on the ground below.

The four airmen gave sworn statements to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. They described the object stopping and hovering, then resuming motion at varying speeds. One witness noted it appeared quite high but later seemed to move lower over the base. Another witness thought it might be an airplane at first but ruled that out because airplane lights blink, while this was steady. All agreed the object did not resemble any aircraft or star they had ever seen.

The Air Force quickly found a conventional explanation. On October 20, investigators learned that the Radiosonde Section of the base's weather unit had released a weather balloon carrying a light attachment at 1928 hours on October 19, shortly before the sightings. A second balloon was released at 0100 hours on October 20. The weather balloon carried a yellowish light used to track the device visually as it rose through the atmosphere. Special Agent Calprill, one of the investigators, visited the weather station building and observed what appeared to be a flickering light high in the sky that seemed to change color slightly. The weather station personnel confirmed this was the balloon they had launched.

The investigation was closed as of October 31, 1953, with the conclusion that the airmen had observed a radiosonde balloon (a weather balloon used to measure atmospheric conditions at high altitudes). The case file is held by the National Archives and consists of 9 pages.