UFO 1961 in the Pacific, aerial observation of a bolide

Summary

In March 1961, a pilot and a crew member of a P2V-7 aircraft reported a luminous phenomenon over the Pacific. The object, described as round and reddish, split into multiple fragments that descended in a scattered pattern. One observer saw the object before the explosion, while the other noticed it afterward. Both agreed the phenomenon was unusual and that the fragments were brighter than any meteorite they had seen before.

The report classifies the event as likely a bolide, a type of meteor that explodes in the sky. Despite no photographs or radar recordings, available data allowed the conclusion that it was not an artificial object or a balloon. The observers' descriptions, along with weather conditions and lack of radar activity, support the astronomical theory. However, the unusual nature of the event remains a subject of interest for further investigation.