UAP AnalysisIndependent · the declassified record
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Dept. of DefenseUnresolvedAmbiguous

Stationary white-amber circular object, then accelerated — Alamogordo (Dec 13 1949, Sighting 159)

Dec 13, 1949Alamogordo, New Mexico5,000 ft
Analysis — our summary

Sighting 159 from the 17th District OSI summary table: at 20:05 on 13 December 1949, three reliable observers reported a circular object at approximately 5,000 feet over Alamogordo, New Mexico. Initially stationary with white-amber-red coloration, the object then began to move, assumed a brilliant green color, and 'picked up speed.' The object was estimated at 1–1.5 times the size of an average streetlight at distance.

As reported — verbatim from the document
Sighting table entry: '159 13 Dec 2005 3 R Alamogordo, New Mexico … Stationary then began to move … White amber red … Circular … 1–1½ times size of average st. light … Object took on brilliant green color, picked up speed … (1)(2)'
Analyst notes — caveats & confidence

Extracted from heavily OCR-corrupted tabular summary (page 29). Three reliable observers (R rating). Evaluated as both Classification (1) Green Fireball Phenomenon and Classification (2) Disc or variation — unusual dual classification suggesting behavior crossing both categories. Color change from white/amber to brilliant green on acceleration is noteworthy. Confidence is moderate-low due to OCR noise in source table.

Provenance
Source documentDOW-UAP-D017_General_Correspondence_Of_Sandia.pdf
Document typeGeneral correspondence file — multi-document compilation including OSI summaries, scientific reports (LaPaz/Crozier), field investigation summaries, and raw sighting tables; 1948–1950
Reporting agencyDept. of Defense
Source pages116
DeclassifiedFirst public at this release (2026)
Held classified~77 years (≥, to this release)
Extraction confidence ModerateHow cleanly this record could be parsed from the source — driven by legibility & redaction. It is not a measure of how credible or anomalous the sighting is.