Documents / Report
This US Air Force Project Blue Book file, hosted by the Sign Historical Group, centres on a 13 November 1968 letter from Lt Col Hector Quintanilla, Jr., chief of the Aerial Phenomena Branch, evaluating the 24 October 1968 UFO sightings at Minot AFB. It attributes the ground sightings to the star Sirius and a B-52, and the B-52 radar contact and radio loss possibly to a plasma. It also includes a sequence of events, witness summaries, star tables, an Eielson AFB case card and notes on autokinesis.
DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION Weather conditions were such that there was haze and scattered clouds in the area of the sighting. There was also a temperature inversion at the 2 – 5,000 ft altitude level. Stars could be seen and this was indicated in all the AF Forms 117 submitted to Wright- Patterson Air Force Base. A. 1. Sirius was the brightest astronomical object in the skies during the period of the sightings. It has a stellar magnitude of –1.56, has characteristic colors of blue-red- white- green, and would have been visible in the southeastern sky during most of the sightings. (See Atch #1) 2. The scintillation of Sirius would have been increased by the temperature inversion. 3. Common celestial objects when seen through haze are often misinterpreted. (See Atch #2) 4. Clouds passing in front of the star would have caused it to disappear and then reappear. 5. Stationary lights when seen against a black background can appear to move. This process is called autokinesis. (See Atch #3) B. 1. Initial report indicated a simultaneous ground visual and air visual at about 0335 local. This was not substantiated by the pilot’s form 117. The pilot indicated he sighted an unidentified light at about 0435 local. Atch #3
Report, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 23 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.