UFO seen as light on bicycle wheel spokes in Seattle

Summary

A round, white object, half the size of the moon, was observed in Seattle on April 23, 1956. The witness described it as a light moving like the spokes of a bicycle wheel spinning around. The object was ascending toward the southwest and was visible for seven to ten seconds. Despite its unusual appearance, investigators concluded it was a meteor, as it traveled an arc of 140 degrees in a very short time.

The report, part of Project 10073, did not include photos or radar, and the only witness was a 23-year-old draftsman working for Boeing. Although the object showed no signs of being a balloon, aircraft, or common astronomical phenomenon, its speed identified it as a meteor. This case, like many from the era, reflects the difficulty of distinguishing natural phenomena from unidentified objects with only visual observations.