Tocumen Tower, Panama C.Z., October 1957October 1957

A tower operator at Tocumen International Airport in Panama scanned the night sky on October 5, 1957, and spotted what looked like a bright white object about 20 inches across. The object hung 23 degrees above the horizon, toward the west-southwest. Over the course of one hour and seventeen minutes, it appeared to sink slowly toward the horizon before disappearing into the clouds.

The operator used binoculars to track the sighting and recorded precise measurements at different times. Other observers in the area, including personnel from a nearby Air Force base, also noted the same object. An astro plot, a calculation used to match observed positions with known celestial objects, indicated that the planet Venus was nearly at the exact location where the operator had spotted the light. Officials at Panama Canal Zone headquarters later confirmed the identification as Venus.

The file notes that this was the second night in a row the same object had been reported from the same location. Air Force radar sites in the area were asked to search the region, but their results came back negative. The Air Force classified the sighting as "Unknown," though the evidence and calculations strongly suggested the bright object was the planet Venus.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages.