Aerial view of Washington D.C. of an unidentified object

Summary

In June 1959, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and his wife reported an object that crossed the sky over Washington D.C. at high speed. They observed it from the roof of a building, noting a bright orange object moving rapidly from horizon to horizon. The object showed no blinking lights or noise, ruling out the possibility of an aircraft or rocket. Its flat trajectory and the duration of the sighting, around 30 seconds, also made it incompatible with a meteor.

The witness, with astronomical knowledge, ruled out Venus or Jupiter, as the object maintained a clearly distinct position relative to those planets. Despite multiple theories considered, the report did not reach a definitive conclusion, noting there was insufficient data for evaluation. Like many cases from the era, this one was classified as "insufficient for evaluation," but it reflects the curiosity and rigor with which UFO sightings were handled in the 1950s.