Solidad, CaliforniaNovember 1955

On the morning of November 1, 1955, four inmates working as Ground Observer Corps volunteers at Soledad State Prison in California reported seeing an unusual object in the sky. At 1:15 a.m., they spotted what they described as a bright white sphere, about the size of a silver dollar held at arm's length, rising slowly from behind the eastern mountains. Almost immediately, they noticed a smaller, bluish, oval-shaped object below it, roughly the size of a half dollar. The two objects appeared to move together as a single unit, traveling slowly from east to west at an estimated speed of 1 to 2 miles per hour. The observers watched them for over four hours as they climbed across the sky, finally disappearing behind the southwestern mountains around 5:45 a.m.

The observers were considered reliable by investigators. All four men were inmates in the prison's Honor Barracks, assigned to lesser offenses and with good behavior records. They had volunteered for Ground Observer Corps work and received commendations from their sector supervisor. During interviews, they remained consistent and precise in describing what they had seen, and the investigator noted they tried hard to be exact in their answers.

Investigators checked several possible explanations. The Combat Operations Center reported no radar contact during the sighting. The CAA Weather Station found no unusual weather that might explain the phenomenon. An astronomer at Lick Observatory, located about 50 miles north of Soledad, was consulted. Dr. Jeffers noted that Jupiter rose around midnight and was bright and white in color, matching the general description. Mars was also visible that morning but farther east and red-yellow in color. Mercury was not visible until just before sunrise. The observatory reported no other unusual astronomical activity that morning. The Air Force also ruled out a balloon launched from Muroc (now Edwards Air Force Base), since no launches occurred on November 1, though releases did happen on November 2, 4, and 5.

Despite the observers' detailed account of two distinct objects, the Air Force concluded the sighting was probably caused by the planet Jupiter. Investigators believed the reported shape and size were unusual for a planet and suggested the observers may have been mistaken about these details. The apparent separation between the two objects, which sometimes nearly merged, was attributed to an optical illusion. The investigator noted that the direction of movement from east to west, the color variations seen through binoculars, and the duration of the sighting all supported the Jupiter hypothesis. The approving officer concurred with this assessment. The case file contains 14 pages and is held by the National Archives.