Observations Meteorological Phenomena

The archival folder is an unclassified Bureau of Meteorology file titled “Observations Meteorological Phenomena” and numbered 45/566.

BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY UNCLASSIFIED INDEXED Title: Observations Meteorological Phenomena File No. 45/566

A 10 September 1968 Bureau memorandum concluded that the reported object's shape did not conform to the spherical float balloons then in use and called a Hibal source improbable.

The object you describe does not conform in shape to float balloons as these in present flight are spherical & last Hibal was on 18/7/68 so source of that is improbable.

A teletype inquiry described a large vertical cylindrical, semi-transparent object over eastern Australia on 28 July 1968, with an estimated altitude of 45,000 feet.

LARGE VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL SEMI TRANSPARENT OBJECT SIGHTED FLOATING OVER EASTERN AUST ON JULY 28 STOP BELIEVED TO BE AT 45000 FT

The New Zealand balloon-program reply said its balloons were spherical and generally not visible from the ground, while suggesting a descending Mildura air-sampling balloon only if the observer's size, shape, and height estimates were correct.

ALL ARE SPHERES. NONE ARE VISIBLE FROM GROUND EXCEPT AS A THIRD MAGNITUDE STAR BEFORE DAWN AND AFTER SUNSET.

A 14 August 1968 Bureau letter said the object had also been sighted near The Entrance and that similar descriptions had been received from several observers.

The object was also sighted from the vicinity of The Entrance and a similar description has been received from several observers.

The Williamtown officer reported that three staff observed the object and that a duty RAAF controller said Sydney Airport radar had tracked it from 07:30 over Richmond, moving east-northeast.

the Sydney Airport Radar had been tracking the object since 0730, at which time it was located over Richmond NSW and was moving in an ENE direction.

The Williamtown memorandum calculated a speed of about 250 knots and recorded a 255-knot RAWIN wind at the assumed altitude, making wind-borne movement consistent with the measured track.

the movement, calculated from the foregoing readings would be 250 knots. The RAWIN reading at that height (150 mbs) showed a wind of 255 knots.

The Williamtown report described the object through a theodolite as shiny and semi-transparent, with something inside and conical ends that appeared less solid than the cylinder.

Appeared shiny and semi-transparent with something inside. The cones at each end appeared less solid than the cylinder, in fact appeared to be laced framework.

The Bureau told P. W. Whalan that the appearance and behaviour of the reported objects were not explicable in meteorological terms and suggested referral to biology departments.

The appearance and behaviour of the objects you describe do not appear to be explicable in terms of meteorological phenomena.

P. W. Whalan reported fragile, woven white fibres falling over roughly two miles near Tenterfield and said a collected sample disappeared from a closed vehicle within about four hours.

The Bureau advised the Branxholme postmaster that the north-western object was probably a balloon released by a University of Melbourne team studying cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere.

the object observed to the north west of Branxholme would be a balloon. These are released from time to time in various parts of Victoria by a research team from the University of Melbourne

The Branxholme telephone record described an initially unidentified bright, spherical, stationary object seen by multiple people and later described as a balloon at great height.

An unidentified bright, spherical, stationary object has been sighted by a number of people to the north west and 45° to the horizontal.

In response to Ivy Goode, the Bureau said her Balwyn sighting may have been a hydrogen-filled balloon carrying an identification light at night.

it is possible that the object sighted by you was a hydrogen filled balloon carrying a light for identification at night.

Ivy Goode reported a star-like object below Venus moving slowly north toward North Balwyn with what appeared to be a wisp of cloud, followed five minutes later by an aircraft on a similar route.