Green Fireballs Near U.S. Nuclear Sites: Project Twinkle and the Quest to Distinguish Natural from Artificial Phenomena

To the point

Dr. Lincoln La Paz warned that the late-1948 green fireballs seen near key US nuclear sites could be Russian threats or even alien devices, and although Project Twinkle set up limited instrument posts to study them, the data remained incomplete and the debate over their nature continued.

Project Twinkle Established to Monitor Green Fireball Sightings
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Project Twinkle Established to Monitor Green Fireball Sightings

In December, 1948 a new and strange phenomenon began to be observed repeatedly in the southwestern United States in areas where Top Secret nuclear weapon research was being carried out. Particular areas were around Los Alamos, New Mexico, Sandia Base near Albuquerque, New Mexico, the White Sands Proving Ground in NM and, eventually around the nuclear weapon storage site called Killeen Base at Fort Hood, Texas.