Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, April 1958April 1958

On April 25, 1958, a U.S. Navy officer stationed at Midway Island, in the Pacific Ocean, witnessed an unusual light in the sky that he observed for roughly twenty minutes. The witness, John P. Totten, was inside his quarters around 1:30 a.m. when he first noticed a sudden bright flash outside. Thinking it might be a street lamp, he went to a window and saw what he described as a bluish-white light moving in an unusual pattern.

The object appeared small at first, about the size of a volleyball, but as it moved closer it seemed to grow to about the size of a bushel basket. The light changed color slowly, shifting from bluish-white to a glowing effect and then to navy blue. Totten noticed two small lights attached to the object that moved in a peculiar pattern, separate from the main light. The object moved slowly inland from the coast and then rose rapidly into the sky.

Totten conducted a simple test while observing the light. He placed strips of cloth on his venetian blinds and looked at the light through them with one eye on each side, trying to judge its distance and movement. He noted that the light appeared fuzzy when very close to the cloth but became clearer when farther away. He estimated the object's distance at between one and two miles and its final altitude at around 4,900 feet. While the light moved inland, the two smaller lights cycled through a distinctive pattern: they would move to the left, then to the right, repeatedly fading and reappearing over roughly fifteen-second cycles. Totten drew diagrams in his report showing what the object's shape might have been based on these light movements.

The witness reported that no sounds were heard, and he did not observe any aircraft or weather balloons in the area. He noted that a street lamp and a rotating beacon were the only other lights visible. The file indicates that meteorology confirmed no weather balloons were in the vicinity at that time. The Air Force's evaluation, as listed on the case record card, notes the object as "possibly balloon with running lights," though Totten's detailed account of the object's color changes, movement patterns, and the distinctive behavior of the attached lights provided substantial observational detail. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 10 pages.