A bright object seen in Des Moines in 1949

Summary

A man in Des Moines, Iowa, was awakened by an intense light in the early morning of April 7, 1949. The light, brighter than daylight, passed through his green blinds and left him astonished. From his second-floor bedroom, he observed an object that appeared to be the size of a full moon, with reddish, yellow, and purple hues. The witness described the object as resembling a scoop, approximately two feet long. The object was moving north at a moderate speed, without making noise or leaving a visible trail. The witness claimed the light was so intense that it cast shadows in his room, though he could not accurately determine its distance or altitude. After a few minutes of observation, the object disappeared behind a neighboring house.

The official investigation by the U.S. Air Force, under Project GRUDGE, concluded that the witness was eccentric and prone to fabricating stories. Several neighbors confirmed that the man had unusual behavior and a tendency to seek attention. Additionally, there were no records of unusual aerial activity in the area, and no physical evidence of the phenomenon was found. Despite this, the man's testimony was documented, including a rough sketch of what he saw. The Air Force did not entirely rule out the possibility of an unidentified object but considered the most likely explanation to be an optical illusion or a misinterpretation by the witness.