White Sands Missile Range UAP Observations — Clyde Tombaugh

Dr. Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930 and was regarded as one of the most meticulous observational astronomers of the 20th century, was working at White Sands Proving Ground (later White Sands Missile Range) in New Mexico in 1949. On August 20, 1949, at approximately 11:00 PM, Tombaugh observed a rectangular formation of six to eight greenish lights moving silently across the night sky. The formation maintained perfect geometric spacing and traversed the sky in an estimated 3 seconds. Tombaugh made additional UAP sightings from his Las Cruces home. He submitted formal reports to the USAF and later cooperated with Project Blue Book investigators. In formal statements, Tombaugh described the objects as moving with 'precision control' and noted that the formation's geometric regularity ruled out natural phenomena. Tombaugh was also consulted by the USAF's scientific advisory board on the reliability of various UAP witness categories, given his professional experience and credibility. His formal written report is preserved in Project Blue Book files at NARA. Tombaugh's credibility as a trained observational scientist makes his testimony among the most technically significant in the USAF's official UAP record. White Sands was simultaneously the site of active V-2 rocket test launches and classified missile development, making the airspace one of the most carefully monitored in the US.