Red UFO over Mississippi in 1954

Summary

In May 1954, three people in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, reported seeing a reddish-yellow glowing object, twice the size of a star. They observed it for an hour, describing up-and-down and side-to-side movements without a fixed pattern. The sky was clear with visible stars, and the object was located about 30 degrees above the horizon. Although initially considered a possible optical illusion or reflection, the consistency of the testimonies and the object's exact position matching the star Arcturus raised doubts about a conventional explanation.

The Air Force investigation found no clear cause, though it suggested the possibility of reflections from fishing boat lights on a moisture layer. However, the irregular movement and size of the object didn't fit known natural phenomena. The coincidence of three independent testimonies and the precise location of the object in the sky led to the consideration of an unidentified phenomenon.