On the evening of March 15, 1955, a resident of Avalon on Catalina Island saw a bright orange object in the sky. At arm's length, it appeared to be about the size of a small coin.
The report is brief, but one detail stands out: the object appeared very small, yet was described as bright. The person who reviewed the case suggested it might have been a natural celestial object, such as a star or planet. They also decided that no further investigation of the incident was necessary.
Small Coin, Arm's Length Away
Paul J. Carr, an Avalon, California resident, was the man who reported the sighting. Carr described what he saw as a bright orange object, in the evening, appearing the size of a small coin when held at arm's length.
The comparison to a coin describes the size as it appeared to Carr. It doesn't indicate the actual distance between the man and the object, or its true size. The report doesn't specify how long the light remained in the sky, which part of the sky it was seen in, or if it moved. Therefore, a full description of the sighting cannot be constructed from it.
Possible Explanation — Without Further Investigation
The officer who prepared the assessment wrote that it might have been an astronomical object: a natural celestial body, such as a star or planet. This was only a possibility, not a definitive identification of the object. The same assessment stated that the incident did not warrant further investigation.
This decision left the report as is: a brief description of a bright orange object, accompanied by a proposed explanation. The record contains no description of further examination, nor additional details from Carr that could have aided in identification.
What Remains Unknown
It is unknown what the object was, how long it was seen, or exactly where in the sky it appeared. The routine explanation offered was that it might have been a natural celestial object, but this was not definitively determined.
What remains from that evening is a small, bright orange sighting — the size of a coin, to the person who looked at it from arm's length.
