Greenville, South Carolina, May 13, 1952: four ovals over Furman.
THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTINGS REPORT
Greenville, South Carolina:
Four Amateur Astronomers and a Diamond of Glowing Ovals
On the night of May 13, 1952, four amateur astronomers had set up their telescopes in the darkest part of the Furman University campus in Greenville, South Carolina, when one of them called attention to four glowing brownish-orange ovals in a tight diamond formation, passing nearly directly overhead without a sound. They wobbled, “like heavy winged birds in flight,” and were gone in about three seconds.
The Greenville, South Carolina UFO sighting is a rare case in which trained skywatchers, not casual witnesses, argued with each other over what they had seen. One of the four was sure they were geese; the other three were just as sure they were not, and Blue Book concluded only that it could not decide.
Date: May 13, 1952
Sighting Time: 10:33 p.m. EST
Day/Night: Night
Location: Furman University campus, Greenville, South Carolina
Urban or Rural: Dark campus at the edge of a city
No. of Entity(‘s): Not Applicable
Entity Type: Not Applicable
Entity Description: Not Applicable
Hynek Classification: Nocturnal Light (NL)
Duration: About 3 to 5 seconds
No. of Object(s): 4
Description of the Object(s): Four self-illuminated, oval, brownish-orange or reddish-yellow objects in a tight diamond formation, oscillating slightly, with a wobbling motion like heavy winged birds
Shape/Size/Color of Object(s): Oval / about the size of a half dollar at arm’s length / brownish-orange to reddish-yellow
Distance to Object(s): Unknown; one witness estimated below 1,000 feet
Height & Speed: Nearly overhead on a level course heading about 300° to 350°; speed not estimated
Number of Witnesses: Four amateur astronomers, including Richardson
Special Features/Characteristics: No sound; telescopes were set up in a dark area with no ground lights or haze; distance between objects about five times their width
Case Status: Blue Book: Other (possible geese); no definite conclusion
Source: Project Blue Book record card; 6th District OSI Spot Intelligence Report (May 28, 1952); Blue Book Status Report; Chop Clearance List Item #15; FUFOR Index
Summary/Description: Four amateur astronomers on a dark campus saw four glowing ovals in a diamond formation pass overhead; one thought they were geese, the other three were sure they were not.
Related Cases: Ellenton, South Carolina, May 10, 1952
Detailed Report
The 6th District Office of Special Investigations at Robins AFB prepared a Spot Intelligence Report dated May 28, 1952. The Wing Intelligence Officer at Donaldson AFB received information from the Officer of the Day on May 13 that unidentified objects had been seen over Greenville. Four witnesses were interviewed by Lt. Palmer and made written statements. They were returning from an evening of observing from the Furman campus when one of the group called attention to four objects, “each the shape of a goose without neck or tail,” luminous, in a diamond formation, with the distance between objects about five times their width, passing directly overhead on a level course heading about 350 degrees.
Another statement describes four oval, self-illuminated, brownish-yellow objects in a diamond formation, in sight for about three seconds, traveling on a level course slightly off directly overhead, making no sound and rather wobbling in flight, a motion similar to that of heavy winged birds. The apparent size would be about that of a half dollar held at arm’s length. It was a clear, quiet night, excellent for astronomy; a slight ground haze over the city did not extend to the campus, where it was perfectly clear.
Blue Book’s analysis noted that similar reports elsewhere, including one from Fargo, North Dakota, on April 25, 1952, had turned out to be ducks. “In this case, however, there were no ground lights in the area to reflect from a bird.” The people had set up their telescopes in a dark area, essential for good astronomical observing. “As was stated, one source was sure they were geese but the other three were just as sure they were not.” The possibility of aircraft was “nil,” since the objects passed directly overhead without sound. The OSI noted that the sightings were not made by military personnel but by a group of responsible adult citizens. The record card’s conclusion line: “No definite conclusions,” and the card’s evaluation: Other, possible geese. Blue Book’s table lists Greenville as Birds.
RESEARCHER’S NOTES
Astronomers Disagree
- Evaluation: The card reads Other: possible geese, with no definite conclusion; the 11–31 May table lists Greenville as Birds.
- Dark site: Blue Book itself argued that ground light would be needed to make birds glow and that the dark campus ruled that out, then still left geese as the best candidate.
- Witness split: One witness thought they looked like geese; the other three disagreed. The split is part of the record.
- Misdate: The Blue Book Chop Clearance List misdates the case as May 18, 1952 (Item #15).
- Why it is included: It shows trained observers, a dark site and an explanation Blue Book could not prove.
The Greenville sighting is a well-documented, short, daily-life case with an unresolved argument at its center: birds or not. Blue Book weighed geese, found the dark site hard to square with the glow, and recorded no conclusion.
“As was stated, one source was sure they were geese but the other three were just as sure they were not.”
— Project Blue Book analysis, Greenville, South Carolina, May 13, 1952
