Aldrin Saw Flashes of Light in Apollo 11’s Dark Cabin

Aldrin, trying to sleep with the lights out, observed small flashes of light inside the cabin spaced a couple of minutes apart. On transearth coast he observed double flashes separated by about a foot, and sometimes a line with no direction of motion. He hypothesized 'some sort of penetration' of an object into the cabin causing an emission, possibly correlated with the direction of the Sun. Armstrong later spent about an hour observing on the last night and reported roughly 90 significant observations. Armstrong suggested it could be a neutron or other atomic particle in the visible spectrum.

Witnesses

Buzz Aldrin · Neil Armstrong

Sensors

naked eye (dark-adapted, inside cabin)

The object

Small light flashes inside the darkened cabin; sometimes single, sometimes double flashes about a foot apart, sometimes appearing as a line; rate roughly one per minute on average.

Outcome

Tentatively interpreted by Armstrong as cosmic-ray-like atomic particle visible-spectrum events; Aldrin suspected penetration of objects into the cabin.

In lunar orbit following ascent, as the Earth rose above the lunar horizon approaching CDH, Aldrin observed a fairly bright light source which the crew tentatively ascribed to a possible laser, and reported this to ground. Returning in the command module approaching Earth, a similar appearance was observed; through the monocular it appeared to be sunlight reflected from a relatively smooth body of water such as a lake. The crew revised their initial conclusion accordingly, while Aldrin still considered it unusual to see so bright a source at that distance. The phenomenon did not register on the film.

Witnesses

Buzz Aldrin · Apollo 11 crew

Sensors

naked eye · monocular · onboard film camera (negative result)

The object

Fairly bright point source of light coming from the Earth, visible from lunar orbit and on transearth approach.

Outcome

Initial 'possible laser' hypothesis revised to a probable sun-reflection off a lake; Aldrin still characterized it as an unusual phenomenon at that distance.

Looking back at the Moon, Aldrin briefly perceived the image of Mars in a region where it could not have been, because it was in the dark portion of the Moon. He labeled this an optical illusion; Armstrong suggested Mars was just adjacent to the lunar horizon, having just emerged from behind the Moon.

Witnesses

Buzz Aldrin · Neil Armstrong

Sensors

naked eye

The object

Apparent image of Mars seen against a dark portion of the Moon.

Outcome

Self-identified by the crew as an optical illusion, likely a horizon-proximity effect after Mars emerged from behind the Moon.