Marietta, GAFebruary 1951

Unidentified

Summary

On February 2, 1951, at Dobbins Air Force Base near Marietta, Georgia, several airmen reported a light in the sky between about 2200 and 2300 (10:00 to 11:00 p.m.). Witnesses included the control tower operator, a radar operator, and weather detachment personnel. They estimated the object was five to eight miles south of the base, at about 1,000 to 2,000 feet.

Observers disagreed on whether the light moved. Some said it shifted right and left; others said it stayed still. It showed red, green, blue, and white colors. A radar operator saw it with his eyes but could not get a radar return, partly because the object was at a very low angle with ground interference.

Weather was scattered clouds at 20,000 feet with 12 miles visibility. A Navy pilot earlier reported a white light near Greenville, South Carolina. The Air Force recorded the case in Project 10073, its official file for unidentified flying object reports. The conclusion was the astronomical body Sirius.

Reported location

Marietta, GA

Date of incident

February 1951

State / country

GA / US

Page count

3 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 8

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 3

View transcribed text

I ¢
:
PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
I. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
O Was Bolloon
2 Feb 51 Marietta, Ga O Probably Boliocon
BE RE RR 4 yyy rt Ee RA ce age 0 Possibly Balloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPC OF OBSERVATION
BIE a i ad Ck Ground- Visual 0 Ground-Radar = Baie Bets
our. 03/03002 25 re 0 Air- Visual : 0 Air-Intarcept Rodar 0 Possibly Aircraft
ETE re Tr BK Was Astronomical SIRIUS :
0 Yes 0 Probobly Astronomical
EI No Town opzrator and other airmen DO Possibly Astronomicel
“7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION |'8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE Co
0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation
[VAL/EHHA 1 he 1 Stationary j* Unknown
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
Color was red-grecn-blue white, Shaptg like Astro Sirius at 185 AZ 45 deg elevation,
a Might. Speed was stationary to slow. Alt Evaluated as Astro SIRIUS
est 1 ~ 2,000'., Radar pickup attempted with
negative results. ’
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 BEEP 52)

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28939043