The Great Falls UFO Footage
A baseball team manager filmed two bright objects streaking across the sky. The film was analyzed by the Air Force, who could never explain what he captured.
On August 15, 1950, Nicholas Mariana, manager of the Great Falls Electrics baseball team, captured what may be some of the earliest and most analyzed UFO footage in history. Two bright objects streaking across the Montana sky were filmed for 16 seconds—and have never been adequately explained.
The Sighting
At approximately 11:30 AM, Mariana and his secretary Virginia Raunig were at Legion Park when they noticed two bright silvery objects moving across the sky. According to documented accounts:
- Two bright, rotating, circular objects
- Moving at high speed in a straight line
- Appearing silver or metallic
- No wings, tails, or vapor trails visible
Mariana grabbed his 16mm movie camera from his car and filmed the objects for approximately 16 seconds before they disappeared behind a water tower.
The Film
The footage shows:
- Two bright, disc-shaped objects
- Moving consistently across the frame
- Appearing to rotate or pulsate
- No conventional aircraft characteristics
The film was one of the first to be scientifically analyzed by the government.
Air Force Investigation
The film was sent to the Air Force for analysis as part of Project Blue Book:
- Air Force analysts couldn’t identify the objects
- Some suggested reflections from two F-94 jets known to be in the area
- Mariana and witnesses insisted the objects didn’t look or behave like aircraft
- The film showed characteristics inconsistent with jet aircraft
Missing Frames: Mariana claimed the Air Force returned his film with 35 frames missing—frames he said showed the objects more clearly as rotating discs. The Air Force denied removing any frames.
Scientific Analysis
The film has been analyzed multiple times:
Robertson Panel (1953): Suggested the objects might be aircraft reflections but couldn’t confirm.
University of Colorado (Condon Committee, 1966-1968): Found the objects “unexplained” after extensive analysis.
Dr. Robert M.L. Baker (1955-1956): Concluded the images were inconsistent with aircraft, birds, or balloons. He calculated the objects were moving at a minimum of 400 mph.
Significance
The Great Falls footage is significant because:
- One of the earliest UFO films
- Multiple scientific analyses
- Taken by a credible witness in broad daylight
- Objects display anomalous characteristics
- The missing frames controversy adds intrigue
The Objects
Based on analysis, the objects appeared to be:
- Approximately 60 feet in diameter
- At a distance of 2-3 miles
- Moving at speeds exceeding known aircraft of the era
- Rotating on their axis
Legacy
The Mariana footage remains one of the most studied pieces of UFO evidence. It predates most famous cases and has withstood decades of scrutiny without definitive conventional explanation.
Mariana maintained the truth of his sighting until his death in 1999, never profiting significantly from the footage despite its fame.