NUFORC Sighting 49863

Occurred: 1962-09-04 15:30 Local
Reported: 2006-03-29 16:25 Pacific
Duration: 1 Hour plus
No of observers: 4

Location: St. Louis, MO, USA

Shape: Sphere
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby

Observation of spherical white colored craft in geostationary position for 1 hour plus. The altitude at a guess at 2,000 feet high. This was seen on September 4, 1962 at 3:30 pm Central Standard Time. Location of sighting was 2.6 miles south of St. Louis Lambert airport. The sky was clear and wind was calm. My mother was hanging clothes out to dry, and called out to me to come out and see the object. I rejected her offer for some time, but she insisted that it was something I should see. When I finally went out and saw the object we talked and she asked if it could be Venus? I told her that it could not be because of the time of day and direction was eastward.

I was a member of the St. Louis Astronomical Society at this time. My mom said I should get my telescope and take a look. At the age of 15 I wasn't totally coordinated yet, and I broke the front glass out of the front screen door. Trying to get the telescope out the door. I'm adding for the time frame. It took a bit of work to gather the broken glass up before a got the telescope to the back yard.

Setting up the telescope. It was a Tasco refractor 60 mm objective lens, with a alt-azimuth mount. I first used the wide angle eyepiece to spot the object. I found it magnified well, but still rather small. I let my mom look through the scope and by this time we had the next door neighbors over also. So now we have our own star party. Three adults and one kid.

I let everyone take there time and look. Of course they all asked if I could get it bigger. I set the 3 X barlow and the strongest eyepiece. This set the magnification of 525 power. When I looked at the object it nearly filled the entire field of view. I can only explain that I had it focused perfect! It looked like a cue ball. No markings. Perfectly smooth and rather off white, not shiny. It did not give any glow off. No sense of spinning motion, and no noise at all.

This is important. This object has not moved one nanometer in an hour of time. Nothing in the heavens or earth can do that! When you view the moon at full power with that telescope it's like a big train moving by. This didn't move. I expected it to move and was in total disbelief at what I was seeing. I let my mom and the neighbors husband and wife both take long looks at the object and we all agreed that it was not moving. I kept saying this can't be happening! No one is going to believe me at the next Astronomical meeting. But I got witnesses! Better yet I've done lunar eclipse photos, and said I will be getting my camera and special eye mount for it and I'll be back. Never had a chance to move.

When we look back at the time in history, it was as one of the worst in nuclear confutations. The "Cuban missile crisis" was happening. I no sooner said that I was going to get the camera when I hear a very load jet aircraft take off. Living for many year near the airport we grew accustomed to the different sounds of the commercial, and air force aircraft flying and even crashing near by as a F-86 did a mile down the road. This was the sound of afterburners and full throttle. As soon as the plane came above the tree line I spotted it as a B-47. She was doing a tight circle as we literality turned our bodies around as it circled and climbed for altitude. On the second sweep around I was beginning to wonder if it had something to do with our visitor in the sky above. I was a lucky hunch, because at that very moment I scream! Look it moved! What had been stationary for an hour did a sudden straight vertical movement to twice the altitude in a split second and stopped. The B-47 was still in hot pursuit with all engines at full throttle. It kept a circular pattern as she climbed up toward the object. After about the fourth revolution around the B-47 chase was over. I saw the object go from that second position to ascend straight up out of sight.

My mom insisted that I report this to the Air Force base at Lambert Field. I looked up a few numbers that sounded official and dialed them. When I mentioned I wanted to report a UFO, they responded I could get in a lot of trouble doing this. Did my parents know I was doing crank calls to the US Government? The last call I made I did get through to an Air Force official and said I wanted to report a UFO and it was being chased by a B-47. He said that's ridicules there's no B-47 aircraft in the air. I said if you don't believe me look out your window. He hung up quickly. No report was ever made to the papers that I could ever recall.

Iwould like to know if anyone in the St. Louis area saw this object also.

Posted 2006-05-15