Pasadena, Calif., February 1953February 1953

On the evening of February 27, 1953, a resident near Victorville, California, watched a bright, star-like object from a hilltop observation point approximately five miles north of Hart Springs. The observer first thought the object was an airplane, then a star, but eventually noticed it appeared to be stationary. After about thirty minutes of watching, the observer concluded the object was moving slowly to the northeast at roughly five to seven miles per hour. As the sun set, the object grew brighter and larger. Around dark, it began to fade, turning brownish-red and then red before disappearing entirely. The observer recorded sketches and bearing information from a fixed sighting point, noting the weather was mild with temperatures near sixty degrees and winds from the south at five to seven miles per hour.

The witness suggested the object might be a weather balloon or explained the brightness by proposing it was painted or made of some unusual material, since it seemed too bright for an ordinary object. The Air Force received the report more than a week after the sighting. The file includes the original witness questionnaire and related correspondence from March Air Force Base, but the OCR text becomes largely illegible in the investigative sections. The Air Force concluded the object was probably a star or planet.

The complete case file, as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below across 21 pages.