# February 24, 1950 — Datil, NM — Holloman AFB Photographic Branch Take Photos of Luminous Object

**URL:** https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/t/february-24-1950-datil-nm-holloman-afb-photographic-branch-take-photos-of-luminous-object/498
**Category:** Blue Book Unknowns
**Created:** [February 23, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/t/february-24-1950-datil-nm-holloman-afb-photographic-branch-take-photos-of-luminous-object/498 "2026-02-23T23:51:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![jeffknox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47c2d/32.png) [@jeffknox](https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/u/jeffknox)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/t/february-24-1950-datil-nm-holloman-afb-photographic-branch-take-photos-of-luminous-object/498/1 "2026-02-23T23:51:18Z")

</div>

![02241950-DatilNM-Photo](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/5/59b8aae7517229d3bee2dc2df83a7fcda0e124a7.webp)

February 24, 1950 — Datil, NM  
7:30 p.m. USAF Cpl. Lertis E. Stanfield and other Holloman AFB Photographic Branch project staff at an observation post at Datil, New Mexico, take five photos (using a Cineflex camera with 3-inch focal length lens) of a circular, luminous white object that changes to red and green. Its angular velocity is greater than 0.5°/min in azimuth calculated by Lincoln LaPaz. The object moves in a smooth straight-line motion from about 8:00–9:30 p.m. to the west, blinking red and green. It disappears at high altitude. [Eberhart]

Record Card:

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BBCard](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/9/98fec1b704caa81cbb86851be969635c87328d47.jpeg)

Letter Forwarding Negatives:

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-LetterForwardingNegative](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/8/85a5b783c4d6c4594d85da4f4b92281346a38fbc.jpeg)

[Blue Book states multiple photos are in the files, but there only seems to be this single one in this case folder, I tried searching thru BB Roll 91 for the rest, no luck]

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BBROLL99-p6500-1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/e/e6b88aa0c3b0d88be3ea8d328d7fc86af95980e5.jpeg)

NARA-PBB91-400:

 ![02241950-DatilNM-NARA-PBB91-400](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/8/8dc5168aefa52ea8d006f9524b1c9649032e8225.jpeg)

AF-112 / Air Intelligence Report:

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-Report-1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/f/f74b14882c1387ef25eff87ae1a06fbe1209a671.jpeg)

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-Report-2](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/8/81197d2d24137df04b0b301797c58fcb6c9d18c4.jpeg)

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-Report-3](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/e/e734c76b0a6f80c68e6e8cd6337076bb53935aaa.jpeg)

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-Report-4](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/f/fcb4ef4ed0c394a99c8ebd027a7e728d8a2170ec.jpeg)

Alternate Copy Of Report:

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-Report-CoverLetter](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/f/f3441f60293385b95e0981d5029b7059dd994f14.jpeg)

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-ReportAlt-1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/1/19b0731d820a41c5b0eab4f7dc733979344c7160.webp)

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-ReportAlt-2](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/a/aa792d1c6aa8a5f7048dfc3d25846a8a06a7d705.webp)

 ![02241950-DatilNM-BB-ReportAlt-3](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/f/f22fbbcc7d87fb58a5914891b409c8116bc78005.webp)

Sources:  
Brad Sparks, Blue Book Unknowns File, p. 82;

 ![02241950-DatilNM-Sparks-p82](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/d/d33f3b096d23da5ca47e0deea3a84809cffef3b4.png)

NICAP, “AFOSI Case 175; Datil Observation Post Photographs Object”;

> **[datil, Feb 24, 1950](http://www.nicap.org/datil500224dir.htm)**

You can read about the others cases from this day / same area on NICAP’s Chronos page for 1950. Including the Egg shaped object seen thru a Theodolite in Albuquerque, NM.

> **[1950 Chronology](https://www.nicap.org/chronos/1950fullrep.htm)**

Egg shaped object case:

> **[albuquerque, February 24, 1950](https://www.nicap.org/albuq500224Adir.htm)**

BlueBook folder @ National Archives:

[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28937437](https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28937437)

Joseph Gillette, “UFOs: Natural Explanations,” Pieces of History, April 16, 2018;

> **[UFOs: Natural Explanations](https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2018/04/16/ufos-natural-explanations/)**
>
> Today’s post comes from Joseph Gillette, an archivist on a cross-training assignment in the National Archives History Office. This is the second in a series concerning the Air Force’s Project Blue …