Shelby, IOWAJuly 1955

On the evening of July 30, 1955, a group of five people gathered at a Ground Observer Corps post near Shelby, Iowa, spotted something unusual in the night sky. The object appeared to be about the size of a quarter penny held at arm's length, and it flickered with red, white, and green lights. The witnesses watched it through seven-power binoculars, but the magnification did not reveal any additional details. Most notably, the object seemed to stay in one spot throughout the entire observation period. Several members of the group took photographs of it with a camera equipped with an 81mm lens.

The sighting lasted at least two and a half hours. At one point during the observation, at around 7:30 a.m. on July 30th, a B-25 aircraft passed within five miles of the object. The pilot was asked if he could see anything unusual, but he reported seeing nothing. The photographs that were taken were later developed by the Air Force's photo laboratory, but nothing appeared on the film.

The Air Force investigation looked into several possible explanations. Officials checked with research agencies about weather balloons released from Minneapolis, but found none in the area at that time. The University of Minnesota Observatory reported that no astronomical phenomena that night would explain the sighting. Investigators also noted that balloons typically carry only white lights, not the multicolored display described by witnesses.

The case file shows disagreement between the investigating officer and his supervisor. The investigating officer suggested the sighting might have been caused by an airplane, pointing to the flickering colored lights as consistent with aircraft navigation lights. However, his superior officer rejected this conclusion, noting that the object remained motionless for more than two and a half hours, far longer than any normal aircraft sighting would allow. The approving officer suggested instead that the object was probably a weather balloon (a rawinsonde, which measures atmospheric conditions). The officer noted that such balloons can be visible after dark at high altitudes, and that wind currents could cause the balloon to spin or wobble, creating the flashing and beaming light effects described by witnesses. He also observed that viewing ordinary white light through low-power binoculars can create the illusion of different colors.

The complete case file, including investigative reports, witness statements, and official evaluations, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 9 pages.