Lunar Observation - Spherical Object Near Moon
Document coverPage 1 of 65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_8 · View original on war.gov
Amateur astronomers Peter Bartkus and Theodore McColm observed a spherical object ascending from the moon's northern region on September 5, 1954, moving at speeds inconsistent with orbital mechanics and estimated to be approximately 12,500 feet in diameter.
“We saw a spherical object ascending from the northern section off Mare Humboldtianum area. It was not glowing or brilliant, but seemed more like a dull reflected light of a planet. Its size we estimated at about the diameter of craters Pitiscus or Vlaco. At the time it disappeared at 11:15, it had travelled more than the 29' 30" of arc in about 40 minutes.”
Verbatim from 65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_8 · View original on war.gov
Case details
- Date
- 1954-09-05
- Precision
- day
- Location
- Rockford, Illinois; lunar observation
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Illinois
- Branch
- FBI
- Sensors
- eyewitness
- Shape
- spherical
- Size
- approximately 12,500 feet in diameter
- Duration
- 2400s
Resolution
Object observed through 6-inch telescope; powered body moving against moon's descent; in space near moon
Source document
Agency: FBI
File: 65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_8
Case ID: 1954-FBI-65FAA3
View original on war.gov →Extracted via LLM. Verbatim excerpt validated.