Resolution Island, Canada, October 1958October 1958

Two U.S. Air Force airmen stationed on Resolution Island in northern Canada spotted an unusual light in the night sky on October 17, 1958. At around 12:15 a.m., Airman R.R. Kane and Airman J.P. Messick were at their post when they saw a bright yellow-orange light about 50 miles to the south-southwest. The light was shaped roughly like a half moon and seemed to hang about 5,000 feet above the horizon.

The two men watched from one location for about a minute, then moved to another observation point nearby. From there, they saw the object for another minute before it vanished. Throughout the sighting, the object appeared to move downward in a vertical path. Kane noted in his statement that the sky was clear that night, with no stars visible in the area where the object appeared, though the moon and stars were visible to the south-southeast.

The Air Force submitted a formal report on October 23, 1958. In their conclusion, investigators determined the object was almost certainly the planet Saturn. The analysis sheet noted that Saturn would have been in the right position in the sky at the time of the sighting and that the observers' description of the object showing phases, or a half-moon shape, matched what Saturn would have looked like through the atmosphere at that time of night and viewing angle.

The full case file, 8 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.