Los Alamos Conference on Aerial Phenomena, 1949

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Conf'e:rence on AERIAL Pml:NC>MENA
Pagc 17
Dr. L~.Paz:
To. tbe case of the Texa.a fall., thie is very rough; I didn't see
i ·c, I can only bs.se an estimate eey on the comparisons that -were made with the
moon e.o to size and total intensity. In the case of the Texao fal.l it 'li'Ould
certainly be com:puable to - it va.s one of the brightest observed f:treballs
ia ·t;otal. intenuity . . . .
In the case o:f the Sto.rvation Peak incident, we can
compare it w"lth Vemis which was conveniently located, e.nd 1t eert.'3.inl.y ,,as or
l'Jtellar mae,uitude minus 4., possibly a little brighter. That comparison was
?Dade aJ..,.zoct immediately after the obs~rvation.
. ....
Mr. Hoyt: It ws very bright a.nd clee.r that night.
Dr. Teller:
You saw it at 6 o'clock?
Mr. Boyt: At five minu·tea to eix. Very, ve_ry clear that night.
(ciitc;h digger., in between ditcn digger, a. tw coherent remsrks:)
Dr..Hanley: In 1945 or 1946 I observed practically the same thing ao in this
le·tter.
We thought it vas a roman candlo. Definitely light green in color.
I am still 1;,crried about the fact that they don't report ~
green color 1n
these :tallE.
Dr. Bred.bury: Lack ot noise, lack of ...., the lack of these things wOUld be
. qually astounding for o.rry Jllaterial object....•.
Dr. LaPa.z:
Dr. Kapl.E.n suggested the poas1bil1ty or the same sort of phenanenon
that he cculd produce experimentally in hio laboratory . • . • snd he tells me
tmder certs.in eonditions he can produc-e a globe or lamps of yellOT-Jisb.--e;reen
light • . . • .
He conjectured ~or a m1nt.te that that might have eome rele.ti011 •
an artificial aurora.
Comdr. M:llldclkorn: As long &s you brought that up, MaJ. Johnson bao a letter
I obtained from Gen. Bunker vhich ma,y be pertinent. Gen. Bunker transmitted
the inf'ormation you•ve heard to the Air Materiel. Carmnand, and in reply received
n letter f'rom e.n Air Force General vho recently returned tran AlD.eka. I'll
let Dr. Le.Paz read this.
Dr. LaPaz: This ia closely related to 'What I was talking about. It begins:
"Dear Bunker: Received your interesting phenanena 0'f l. J'ebruary and p:romptly
turned it over to Boward . . . . now eaddled. v1th the responsib1lity of clues.
Regard. as coiucidentol. that on dates JOU mention Gen. Carroll vas in
Fairbanks, AJ.ook;a., and on his return r-el&.ted tbat he bad never seen be:tore
in his lite such a beautitul technical dieplay of Wa:rthern Lights. I~e
v.aat these people have seen ie a reflection fra-.i the •••• ~ these pyro­
technics. So -ra.r ais we know., it ie etill phenomena and not ma:torial. Best
Regards~ Paul".