South Africa Victoria West, Cape Province, February 1956February 1956

On February 29, 1956, at 21:10 (9:10 p.m.), an observer in Victoria West, Cape Province, South Africa saw an unusual object in the sky. The object emerged from a luminous cloud, moving in a way that included standing still, speeding up, and then exploding. The observer described the object as bright green and so luminous that it illuminated the surrounding countryside. It appeared to move slowly at first, then gathered speed before exploding. The sighting lasted about six seconds. The observer initially saw the object in the southwest and watched it move and explode toward the west.

The Air Force record notes that the observer thought the object was a meteor. The file comments describe it as an excellent observation of a bolide (a bright meteor that can explode during atmospheric entry). The brightness of the object and the fact that it exploded in the sky are consistent with a large meteorite entering Earth's atmosphere. The observer's description of watching it emerge from a cloud, accelerate, and then burst apart all match what happens when a substantial space rock falls toward the ground and breaks up from air friction and pressure.

The Air Force evaluated this case as "Probably Balloon," though the case file details suggest the observer and the file's technical evaluator both favored a meteor explanation. The full case file, consisting of nine pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.