Bright UFO with multicolored lights over Camp Pompino

Summary

A witness at Camp Pompino, California, reported a shining object with flashing green, yellow, and white lights on December 11, 1955. The object remained stationary for 10 to 15 minutes before slowly vanishing to the east. The observer, a forest ranger, used a Navy periscope to examine it more closely. Initially considering it a balloon or aircraft, investigators concluded it was an astronomical event, likely the star Betelgeuse. However, the report also suggests the periscope might have caused optical distortion, adding an intriguing twist to this case.