The Green Fireballs
Starting in December 1948, security guards, pilots and scientists reported vivid green fireballs over nuclear facilities in New Mexico. Meteor expert Lincoln LaPaz saw one himself and argued they did not behave like normal meteors. The Air Force set up Project Twinkle in 1950 to film them with cameras and instruments, but it recorded little before it ended. Reports of green orbs near a military facility appeared again in the 2026 PURSUE releases.
The ledger
What the record shows, what people say, and the best explanation available so far.
What's documented
- Project Twinkle and the Los Alamos conferences on the fireballs are on record.
- The 2026 PURSUE releases include a dossier on Sandia Base and green-orb reports.
What's claimed
- Surveillance of U.S. nuclear sites by something unknown.
Best explanation so far
Many scientists think they were unusually bright meteors, with green coloring from copper or other elements. The cluster near secret sites may partly reflect how many trained observers were posted there.
Check the sources
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If you liked this one
PURSUE: The 2026 File Releases
A presidential directive sends hundreds of UFO files into public view in six releases.
Projects Sign, Grudge & Blue Book
Twenty-two years of Air Force UFO investigation: 12,618 reports, 701 unidentified.