Green fireballs are a type of unidentified flying object (UFO) that has been reported since the early 1950s. Early sightings primarily occurred in the southwestern United States, particularly in New Mexico. Although some ufologists and ufology organizations consider green fireballs to be of artificial extraterrestrial origin, mainstream explanations have been provided, including natural bolides.

Reports and responses

Early observations of green fireballs date to late 1948 New Mexico, and include reports from two plane crews, one civilian and the other military, on the night of December 5, 1948. These crews described the observed fireballs as a bright "green ball of fire" and "like a huge green meteor". On December 8 another aerial observation of a green fireball was reported by two pilots. In a letter to the U.S. Air Force dated December 20, Lincoln LaPaz, an astronomer from the University of New Mexico, wrote (as reported by the ufologist Kevin Randle) that the observed objects were atypical of meteors. On January 13, 1949, the Director of Army Intelligence from Fourth Army Headquarters in Texas wrote that the green fireballs "[may be] the result of radiological warfare experiments by a foreign power" and that they "are of such great importance, especially as they are occurring in the vicinity of sensitive installations, that a scientific board [should]...study the situation." In December 1949 Project Twinkle, a network of green fireball observation and photographic units, was established but never fully implemented. It was discontinued two years later, with the official conclusion that the phenomena were likely natural in origin. Green fireballs have more recently been observed in Japan, Australia, West Virginia and Tennessee.

Explanations

thumb|right|An example of a bright, green-hued [[bolide.]]

Some ufologists consider green fireballs to be of artificial, extraterrestrial origin.

See also

  • List of UFO sightings
  • UFO conspiracy theory

References

Sources

  • Jerome Clark, The UFO Book: Encyclopedia of the Extraterrestrial, Visible Ink Press, 1998.
  • Edward J. Ruppelt, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, 1956, Chapt. 4 [http://www.nicap.org/rufo/rufo-04.htm]
  • Brad Steiger, Project Blue Book, Ballantine Books, 1976
  • Transcript of 1949 Los Alamos conference on green fireballs
  • Project Twinkle final report
  • Links to other green fireball documents
  • Another article on green fireballs and Project Twinkle
  • Skeptical witness of a green fireball