Maple Heights, OhioSeptember 1959

On the evening of September 14, 1959, a resident of Maple Heights, Ohio, spotted an unusual object in the western sky around 7 p.m. The observer watched it for ten to fifteen minutes using the naked eye, then switched to a 50-power telescope to get a closer look. At that distance, the object appeared slightly brighter than the North Star and seemed to hang motionless in the sky until dark clouds rolled in and obscured it from view.

Through the telescope, the object looked elliptical in shape, about twenty percent off from a perfect circle. It glowed a light tan color, giving the impression that the setting sun's rays were passing through a white or silver translucent material. The observer also noticed what appeared to be heat waves shimmering around the object, extending outward to roughly ten percent of its size. The witness estimated the object was probably fifty thousand feet or more above the ground.

In an initial report submitted to the U.S. Air Force, the observer suggested the object could be a large weather balloon filled with very warm air or hot gases. The heat waves they observed might have been caused by temperature differences in the upper atmosphere. However, when Air Force officials requested more detailed information, the OCR text of the witness's completed questionnaire becomes difficult to read, limiting what can be reliably determined about additional observations or analysis. The original Air Force evaluation form indicated the case was marked as "unknown," meaning the Air Force could not confirm any conventional explanation.

The full case file, consisting of 13 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.