UFO sighted by Pan Am pilot in 1959

Summary

In August 1959, a Pan Am pilot reported an object shaped like a rocket, pencil-sized, leaving a white cloud with pink hues. The object emitted a glow that shifted from white to green and then to orange, remaining visible for about 20 minutes. The sighting occurred northeast of North Carolina, near the Caribbean, and there was a possibility that it was a research rocket launched from Wallops Island, Virginia. This rocket left a sodium vapor trail visible at 50 miles altitude, explaining the glow and distinctive color.

NASA had launched a Nike rocket that same day as part of a series of tests to study wind patterns and diffusion in the upper atmosphere. The rocket released a large yellow-orange cloud, caused by burning sodium, visible along the U.S. East Coast. Although initially logged as a UFO sighting, the object's characteristics matched those of the research rocket, suggesting the pilot observed a rare but known scientific phenomenon.