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Historical Incidents & Events

Green Fireballs (1948-1951)

1948–1951

A wave of anomalous green fireball sightings over New Mexico beginning December 1948, distinct enough from ordinary meteors (near-horizontal paths, silent flight, a specific hue never matched to known metals) that the Air Force treated it as classified alongside "flying discs." Prompted a secret February 16, 1949 Los Alamos conference bringing together military officers, the FBI, and Los Alamos physicists including Edward Teller; investigator Lincoln LaPaz concluded at least some incidents were not conventional meteorite falls.

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Connections (5)

confirmedRichard Mandelkorn

AFSWP's point of contact on the classified investigation

Source: Green fireball / Project Twinkle history; Feb 1949 Los Alamos conference

confirmedFrederick Reines

attended the classified conference on the phenomenon

Source: Green fireball / Project Twinkle history; Feb 1949 Los Alamos conference

confirmedLincoln LaPaz

led the investigation into the phenomenon

Source: Green fireball / Project Twinkle history; Feb 1949 Los Alamos conference

confirmedNorris Bradbury

participated in the classified conference on the phenomenon

Source: Green fireball / Project Twinkle history; Feb 1949 Los Alamos conference

confirmedEdward Teller

spent ~20 minutes at the blackboard trying to physically explain it

Source: Green fireball / Project Twinkle history; Feb 1949 Los Alamos conference

Part of The Red Thread Files — an independent, evidence-first investigation into the UAP, USO, and consciousness question. Confidence labels (confirmed / reported / disputed) are an automated approximation based on the wording and directness of each source, not a verdict. Corrections: [email protected].