UFO seen in Pacific identified as ECHO I

Summary

A 1963 report describes a sighting of an object in the Pacific that was initially considered as a possible satellite. The sighting occurred on June 25 at 0829 UTC in the coordinates 39.38N 172.30W. The observer described it as an object with the brightness of a second magnitude star, moving in a 075-degree direction. Although speed and altitude were not reported, the data matched the trajectory of the ECHO I satellite, which that day was crossing the equator heading northeast. The official conclusion was that the observed object was indeed the ECHO I satellite, ruling out other possible explanations such as balloons or aircraft. This case shows how orbital and astronomical data can help correctly identify objects in the sky.