Vance AF Base Control Tower, Okla, January 1959January 1959

On the evening of January 5, 1959, two Air Force observers spotted an unusual bright light near Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. A radar operator and tower controller at the base saw the object from the ground. At the same time, an instructor pilot flying a T-33 jet trainer aircraft spotted the same light from the air, about 50 miles away from the base.

The observers described the object as roughly the size of a pea and silver in color. They said it changed to red and orange, with brief flashes of blue and green. A bright light initially drew their attention to it. The object appeared nearly 16 degrees above the horizon, at an estimated altitude of 35,000 feet. It seemed to stay in one spot and gradually grew smaller. The entire sighting lasted about 10 minutes. The pilot tried to fly closer to the object but found he could not close the distance between his aircraft and the light.

The Air Force's Air Technical Intelligence Center investigated the sighting and concluded that the observers had most likely been watching the star Fomalhaut, one of the brightest stars visible in the night sky. According to their analysis, the star was positioned where the witnesses reported seeing the object, just under 10 degrees above the horizon. The analysts noted that when stars sit low on the horizon, atmospheric refraction (bending of light as it passes through layers of air) distorts how they appear. This distortion typically shows up as color changes, makes the star seem larger, and creates a pulsating or flickering effect. These optical illusions, the Air Force concluded, explained why the witnesses had not recognized the object as a star.

This case file consists of 8 pages as held by the National Archives.