MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTANovember 1953

# Minneapolis UFO Sighting, November 1953

On the night of November 30, 1953, three witnesses in Minneapolis reported seeing an unusual bright object in the sky. The sighting began around 0430 (2:30 a.m.) on December 1 and lasted approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Two of the observers were Air Force pilots with more than 500 hours of flying time each, and one was a civilian. All three had never reported seeing a flying object before.

The witnesses described a bright light that appeared to flash like a diamond, cycling through white, red, blue, yellow, and green colors. They estimated the object to be about the size of a pea held at arm's length. The object appeared stationary or drifting slowly from south to north, at an altitude between 1,000 and 4,000 feet and roughly 2 to 3 miles away. The witnesses reported viewing it at an elevation angle of approximately 15 to 25 degrees above the horizon. All observers agreed the object had a round shape with a blurred outline, and none reported hearing any sound.

The Air Force investigated by contacting local air bases, the control tower at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, and civilian research institutions. A T-6 trainer aircraft from the 514th Air Defense Group was vectored to the area but reported seeing nothing. The Minnesota Control Tower confirmed it had scanned the skies with negative results. Radar checks also came back negative. The Air Force inquired whether balloons had been launched in the area. The University of Minnesota reported launching a balloon on November 30, but it had landed before 9 p.m. Wide Laboratories reported launching a balloon at 8 a.m. on November 30, but radio contact was lost during flight. Neither balloon appeared to match the sighting characteristics.

The case file's conclusion page lists "Astronomical: Sirius" as the evaluation, noting that refraction of the bright star Sirius could account for an object appearing in the southeast at various elevations. However, the file also notes that witnesses disagreed on whether the object appeared overhead or in different compass directions, and that the object was too high to see while looking out a window, which complicates the Sirius explanation. The file contains 31 pages as held by the National Archives.