Project Blue Book Case File
Norfolk, VirginiaJuly 1958
Summary
On July 1, 1958, about 7:20 p.m., in Norfolk, Virginia, a civilian and several neighbors reported a single bright object in the sky. The sighting lasted about 29 minutes. The object looked like a bright star but more clearly defined. It was almost directly overhead, a little to the west. Through a small homemade telescope it appeared perfectly round, with a bright metallic glint in the center and dark outer edges. The witnesses watched it move slowly westward until it shot off quickly in the same direction. There was no sound and no vapor trail. The sky was clear. The report was sent in a letter and filed under Project 10073, the Air Force's official record for unidentified flying object reports. The Air Force concluded the object was the star Arcturus, which was very bright and in the position the witness described, noting that stars seen through hand-held telescopes often produce unusual appearances.
Reported location
Norfolk, Virginia
Date of incident
July 1958
State / country
VA / US
Page count
4 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 33