Project Twinkle · UFOCosmos

USAF investigation into the green fireball phenomenon over New Mexico beginning in 1948. Physicist Edward Teller and Los Alamos scientists observed multiple incidents. The project concluded the fireballs were real but could not determine their origin or nature.

The green fireball sightings began in late 1948 over New Mexico, concentrated around sensitive installations including Los Alamos, Sandia, and Kirtland Air Force Base. Physicist Lincoln LaPaz, a leading meteor expert, investigated dozens of cases and concluded the objects were not meteors — they moved too slowly, flew horizontally, and were the wrong color for natural meteoric phenomena. Project Twinkle was established to conduct systematic observations using spectrographic and photographic equipment. Despite multiple surveillance stations being established, the phenomena became less frequent after the monitoring program began. Only one partial instrumental record was obtained during the project's two-year operation. The final Twinkle report acknowledged that the fireballs were real but could not be explained by known natural phenomena. The concentration of events around nuclear facilities was noted but not explained. The project was terminated in 1951 without a resolution.