UFO sighted in Joplin in 1957

Summary

In November 1957, a witness in Joplin, Missouri, observed a luminous object for one and a half hours. The object, four times the size of a basketball, emitted a bright white light and left an intermittent red trail. No sound was heard, ruling out the possibility of an aircraft or balloon. Despite detailed observations, no photos were taken and no additional data was recorded.

The official evaluation considered it could be an astronomical body, possibly Jupiter. However, the data was inconclusive, and no confirmations were found that the planet was in the indicated position. The lack of noise and the object's trajectory raised doubts, but no definitive explanation was reached. The report was closed without further action, leaving the sighting in the limbo between the conventional and the unexplained.