UFO sighting during Geminids 1957

Summary

A 1957 report describes a bright object seen at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, during the peak of the Geminids meteor shower. A crew member observed a white, star-sized object traveling straight and suddenly disappearing in three seconds. Although it might initially seem unusual, the report suggests it was a meteorite. The trajectory, duration, and timing align with typical meteor characteristics during a shower's peak.

The observation was ground-based and visual, with no photos or radar, and the report concludes there's no evidence of an unidentified object. Instead, it attributes the sighting to the Earth passing through a dense cloud of celestial debris. Weather data and speed calculations rule out an aircraft, reinforcing the astronomical explanation. The report, though brief, shows how even in the 1950s, military personnel had criteria to distinguish between natural phenomena and potentially unexplained objects.