Adventure Magazine, September 1960

This document is a declassified USAF report investigating a UFO sighting. On September 26, 1960, at 0700Z near Midway Islands (position 21-52N, 178-25W), the crew of a military aircraft observed a round or oval object approximately six inches in diameter (at arm's length) that continuously changed color through red, green, and white cycles lasting three to four seconds each. The object was extremely bright, climbed from water level at the eight o'clock position, moved past the aircraft's tail to the five o'clock position, then reappeared later at a different altitude moving across the aircraft's nose before disappearing behind clouds. The observation lasted four minutes total. ATIC concluded the object was probably atmospheric refraction of the star Arcturus, explaining the color changes through light dispersion and apparent motion through atmospheric inconsistencies and aircraft movement. A second sighting on September 18 was analyzed as likely a "fireball" class meteor.