Biloxi, Mississippi, September 14, 1952, 9:10–11:00 p.m.
THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTINGS REPORT
1952: Biloxi, Mississippi, the Drive-In Cigar Lights
From about 9:10 p.m. on September 14, 1952, a civilian at a drive-in movie theater in Biloxi, Mississippi watched a greenish-white object, about the size of the moon, appear in the sky with a glow like a cloud. It lost intensity, took on a half-moon shape and vanished straight up. About five minutes later it returned to the same spot with a gradual build-up of light.
Over roughly the next two hours the observer saw it break up and be replaced by a second and then a third object, and when he left at about 11:00 p.m. one object was still in sight. His report went through Keesler AFB Air Intelligence. The Air Intelligence officer rated him serious, intelligent and conscientious.
Date: September 14, 1952
Sighting Time: About 9:10 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (the cover record card reads 9:16 p.m.)
Day/Night: Night
Location: A drive-in movie theater, Biloxi, Mississippi
Urban or Rural: Suburban
No. of Entity(‘s): None reported
Entity Type: Not applicable
Entity Description: Not applicable
Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light)
Duration: About two hours (110 minutes in the report)
No. of Object(s): 3 in succession, with two joining the first at one point per the record card
Description of the Object(s): Cigar-shaped, greenish-white objects about the size of the moon that radiated roughly twice the light of a cloud, lost intensity into a half-moon shape and disappeared
Shape of Object(s): Cigar-shaped, becoming half-moon shaped as intensity faded
Size of Object(s): About the size of the moon “plus four inches along the circumference” by the observer’s estimate
Color of Object(s): Greenish-white
Distance to Object(s): Not recorded
Height & Speed: Not recorded; the observer gave no speed estimate and said the objects seemed to disappear rather than travel off
Number of Witnesses: 2 (a civilian couple per the record card; the report is by one observer)
Special Features/Characteristics: No sound, aerodynamic features or exhaust; the first object returned to the same spot five minutes after vanishing; the object broke up and a second and third appeared in the same way; aircraft traffic from Keesler AFB (including a B-25, a T-6 and others) took off during the period without noting the objects
Case Status: Insufficient Data
Source: Blue Book file (Keesler AFB Air Intelligence Information Report TR-72-52 with weather data, observer’s statement and record card)
Summary/Description: A civilian couple at a Biloxi drive-in watched cigar-shaped, greenish-white objects about the size of the moon for two hours on September 14, 1952. The first object lost intensity into a half-moon shape and vanished straight up, returned five minutes later, broke up and was followed by a second and a third.
Related Cases: the other September 14 night-light reports on the September 1st–16th page, including El Paso and Ciudad Juárez
DETAILED REPORT
The observer’s signed statement says that at approximately 2110 hours on September 14, 1952, he parked at the drive-in and saw an unidentified object appear in the sky, with a cloud-like glow. The object, which looked about the size of the moon and greenish-white, radiated twice the light of a cloud and held a constant position until it began to lose intensity. Losing intensity, it appeared to assume a half-moon shape and disappeared from sight, straight up.
About five minutes later the object returned to the same position with a gradual build-up of intensity. It remained constant from 2120 until 2210, when it broke up and another object appeared in an analogous manner. A third object then appeared, like the previous two. The sighting lasted until about 2300 hours, when the observer left the drive-in. He heard no sounds and saw no aerodynamic features or exhaust, and said one object was still in sight when he left.
The Keesler AFB report estimates the objects remained in sight about 110 minutes, adds that the observer was serious, interested, intelligent, conscientious and aware of the significance of his statement, and says no interception or identification action was taken. Air traffic records note aircraft taking off from Keesler during the period without reporting anything. The report was made late, in October 1952, so there is a gap between the sighting and the report. The weather data page is attached.
RESEARCHER’S NOTES
Biloxi 1952: Two Hours of Greenish-White Lights Over a Drive-In
- Reliability rating: The Air Intelligence officer’s remarks rate the observer well, which is unusual language for a Blue Book civilian report and is worth keeping with the case.
- Same night: September 14 produced many light reports. Biloxi sits on the same night as El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, but the descriptions differ: Biloxi is a single position with objects fading, returning and being replaced.
- The late report: The statement was taken in October 1952, so the timing, shape and the count of objects rest on memory a few weeks old. The archive notes the lag.
- Other explanations: The half-moon fading and return in the same position, with no motion across the sky, is the kind of behavior the evaluators could not match to a known object. The record card leaves the explanation boxes unchecked, and the archive does not supply one.
Biloxi is a quiet, long-duration night observation by a reliable-seeming civilian: greenish-white objects that faded to half-moons, returned to the same spot and were replaced by others. Blue Book leaves it without an explanation.
