Green fireballs over the atomic labs
From late 1948, bright green fireballs flew silently over the most secret sites in America: Los Alamos, Sandia Base and the bomb-storage areas around them. In February 1949 Los Alamos held a conference of top physicists to work out what they were. Meteor expert Lincoln LaPaz, who had seen one himself, said nothing like them had ever been seen in meteorite falls, and Edward Teller floated an 'electron phenomenon'. Sandia's files log 209 reports of green orbs, discs and fireballs, plus copper dust found where some were seen.
Evidence, in date order (4)
- 1948Sandia Base filesofficial116 pages logging 209 sightings of green orbs, discs and fireballs war.gov: 209 sightings reported at Sandia Base, 1948–50
- 1948Copper dust samplesphysicalfound where some fireballs were seen war.gov: 209 sightings reported at Sandia Base, 1948–50
- 1949Project Grudgeofficialthe sightings fed into the Air Force's official investigation Wikipedia: Green fireballs
- Feb 19491949 Los Alamos conferenceofficialtop physicists including Edward Teller met to explain the fireballs war.gov: Los Alamos conference on aerial phenomena, 1949
How plausible · Very high
Official files log 209 sightings over the atomic sites, and meteor expert LaPaz saw one and said they matched no known meteorite falls.
- ●●Access Direct observation or instruments.
- ●●No gain sought Nothing to gain.
- ●●Character record Trained professionals.
- ●●Independent convergence Independent sources agree.
- ●●Checkable details check out Released official records.
- ●●Fits the documented skeleton Fits the documented record.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
On the record
- Transcript of the 1949 Los Alamos conference on aerial phenomena, with Teller and LaPaz.
- 116 pages of Sandia Base files logging 209 sightings near the base, 1948–50.
- The sightings fed into the Air Force's Project Grudge.Project Sign
Claims
Where
war.gov files on this case (2)
In The picture
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Sources
- Wikipedia: Green fireballs
- war.gov: Los Alamos conference on aerial phenomena, 1949
- war.gov: 209 sightings reported at Sandia Base, 1948–50