Mobile, AlabamaOctober 1959

In October 1959, two observers in Mobile, Alabama reported seeing an unusual object orbiting the moon over a period of more than a month. The object appeared roughly every six minutes, traveling from west to east around the lunar surface.

The witnesses first spotted the object on October 8th, during evening hours when the moon was in its first quarter phase. They watched it night after night whenever weather allowed, through November 3rd, a span of 33 days. The object appeared as large as the crater Copernicus, which measures about 60 miles across. The observers could not determine whether they were seeing the object itself or its shadow cast on the moon. On November 9th, the object either increased its speed or was replaced by another similar object, after which it was not seen again.

The observers reported their sighting to the Air Force, noting they had computed an average orbital period of six minutes. The Smithsonian Institution estimated the object would have to be traveling at 70,000 miles per hour if it truly orbited the moon. However, one of the observers stated in his report that he had provided only the orbital timing data to the Smithsonian, and could not explain how they arrived at that speed figure. He confirmed that his parents had also witnessed the object.

The Air Force investigation found no corroborating reports in scientific literature on lunar observations. No other sightings of this type had been reported to Project Blue Book. The file notes that astronomers who were monitoring the moon during this period found no evidence of an orbiting object. The Air Force ultimately classified the case as stemming from natural objects or phenomena such as debris, aircraft, birds, or leaves. The case file offers no definitive conclusion about the object's origin.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages.