Woodlawn, OhioSeptember 1959

Insufficient Data

Summary

On September 27, 1959, a resident of Woodlawn, Ohio saw three steady lights in the sky, colored red, green, and white. The lights appeared to stay in one place while he watched them.

The observer reported the sighting to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the headquarters for the U.S. Air Force's UFO investigation program. The Air Force then asked him to fill out a detailed questionnaire about what he had seen.

Before he completed that questionnaire, however, the observer contacted a Cincinnati astronomer, who identified the lights as a planet. The astronomer explained that the red and green colors were caused by a prismatic effect (the way light bends and separates when it passes through dust particles in the atmosphere). In a follow-up letter to the Air Force, the observer expressed regret for having made the report, saying he would never have contacted the military if he had consulted the astronomer first.

The Air Force's official evaluation was listed as "unknown." The full case file, consisting of 11 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.

Reported location

Woodlawn, Ohio

Date of incident

September 1959

State / country

OH / US

Page count

11 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 37

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 11

View transcribed text

4 |
|
4 i. , PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD ;
7 ; 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
A 0 Was Balloon |
: 27 Sen 59 Woodlawn, Ohio O Probably Balloon
; 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION 3 Possibly Ballaon
3 “oc A 5 0 Was Aircraft |
i Local Healt ses is tilde | DX Ground- Visual O Ground-Radar a Probably Aircraft
3 GMT 28/01117 0 Air Visuol O Air-Intercept Radar |O Possibly Aircroft
i 5. PHOTOS SOURCE BX Was Astronomical Planet
3 O Yes OD Probably Astronomical
i 10:Ne Milisary O Possibly Astronomical |
1 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE O Oiferoe Bees Ao)
q 0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation]
a ) i AE £ 0 Unknown |
3 +0 mins one Stationary |
E 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS |
Three lights red, green, and white. Steady. Identified as a planet by a Cincinnati | |
Ek 8eamed to remain in one place. Sagpe could astronomer to the observer. Color was
[ not be determined though it seened to be caused by the prismic effects creabed
3 rnd. : by dust particles in the atmosphere.
1 :
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i
EE ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
\ i
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1 : pe 14
3 ) ‘
5
|
nN
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/ 11

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28984682