11-year-old sees Antares UFO

Summary

In June 1961, an 11-year-old boy in Smyrna, Delaware, observed a bright orange object near the horizon. The object was flashing and partially hidden by trees, making it hard to identify. The report noted that the star Antares was in the position the boy described, suggesting it might have been mistaken for a UFO. The boy had no experience with astronomy but described the object as something he had never seen before.

The Air Force investigated and linked the sighting to a radiosonde launched from Virginia. These weather balloons can reflect a lot of light and appear extremely bright. Although the boy was unsure of the object's origin, the data matched a known launch. The report concluded there was not enough information to determine if it was a balloon, aircraft, or something else, but pointed to an astronomical explanation as the most likely.