Red-tailed UFO seen in Pesotum Illinois

Summary

A round object, the size of a dime, with a white tail three times longer than its head was observed for 20 to 25 minutes in Pesotum, Illinois, in April 1957. The witness described it as bright red and placed it in the east, very high in the sky. Although initially considered as possibly the Orend-Leland comet, the detailed description of the object and its behavior did not fully match known astronomical records.

The sighting was reported by a civilian and involved no photographs or radar. The report concluded it was "very probably the Orend-Leland comet," although the possibility of a balloon or unusual atmospheric phenomenon was not completely ruled out. The description of the object and its westward trajectory drew attention from authorities, but no clear explanation was found.