PUBLIC RELEASE SOURCE REVIEW ยท INDEPENDENT ANALYTIC CASE FILE
CASE FILE 42 / 237UAP00322

237UAP00322

Radar/correlation-focused public UAP report; score 54

NORMAL-OBJECT FAVORED
Report No.UAP-OM-42-237UAP00322DispositionNORMAL-OBJECT FAVORED
Primary Case237UAP00322Generated2026-05-20 18:32 UTC
Report Time2023-11-24T16:15:00+00:00Observer40.58300, -74.74170
Source Case IDs237UAP00322

Abstract

This case file evaluates a reported UAP sighting against the available orbital-object layer. No compact same-launch group fully identifies the file by itself. The final disposition is assigned under a normal-object favored standard, where ordinary aerospace/orbital explanations are preferred when they reasonably fit the report.

This is a standalone independent analysis prepared from public-source records and public orbital datasets. It is not an official government determination, classification marking, or agency-authored report.

1. Executive Summary

237UAP00322 is assessed as normal-object favored because the available public evidence gives a case-specific ordinary-object candidate: strong ADS-B aircraft candidate N569FG C172 a748dd at 5.2 km, azimuth 214.7 deg, elevation 12.84 deg, 0.03 min from report. Dense satellite presence alone is not treated as causation in this packet.

1.1 Key Findings

1.2 Bottom Line

NORMAL-OBJECT FAVORED: A case-specific ordinary-object candidate exists from source language, orbital geometry, launch-object context, or compact trajectory grouping. Dense ordinary sky traffic alone is not treated as causation.

2. Source Control

The source-control table identifies the public report records reviewed for this case and lists public access links where available. The table is included so this PDF remains interpretable when distributed by itself.

Case IDReport Date FieldFacility / TitleText ExtractPublic PDF Link
237UAP0032216:15 11/24/2023 Callsign: N197LL Origin: HPNZNY Operator: Operator Type: General Aviationtext extract present237UAP00322.pdf

3. Original Report Evidence

Primary excerpt used for matchingAircraft reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon while SW bound at FL260, within 500 feet 1 NM in the vicinity of SBJ. The unknown phenomenon was described as contrail or object. The UAP was not observed on ATC facility radar system. No other aircraft in the vicinity to correlate the phenomenon.
Report time used2023-11-24T16:15:00+00:00
Observer coordinate used40.58300, -74.74170
Observer source basisaviation_fix:vicinity of SBJ (public text extract 237UAP00322)

4. Methodology

  1. Spacetime extraction. The report time and observer coordinate were extracted from the public text report and normalized to UTC. Aviation fixes/radials were resolved during earlier preprocessing where applicable.
  2. External object dataset. The object layer used historical Space-Track/TLE-derived public LEO catalog objects element rows. The analytic mode for this case is historical public LEO catalog objects element propagation and same-launch/designator sky grouping.
  3. Propagation. Orbital elements were propagated to the report minute and observer location. For launch-object checks, samples around the report minute were retained. For Starlink group checks, objects above the horizon were clustered by sky position and filtered for same-launch groupings.
  4. Comparison. The output was compared against the report's count of lights, direction cue, motion language, altitude/radar language, and whether the file itself already suggested a satellite explanation.
  5. Causation standard. Mere object presence above the horizon is treated as background context only. A normal-object disposition requires a case-specific causal fit, such as a named launch object, a compact same-launch trajectory group, or source language that directly supports that object class.
  6. Disposition assignment. Identified means a specific normal object fits the report spacetime and the hard reported features do not materially conflict. Normal-object favored means a case-specific ordinary aerospace/orbital candidate exists, but it is not a full named identification. Insufficient means the file is too thin to carry high anomaly value. High-value unresolved is used when radar, video, rapid maneuver, or multi-witness features remain after reasonable normal-object checks.

5. External Object Evidence

5.1 Search Volume and Density

This table is a screening layer only. Objects above the horizon show background opportunity; they do not establish causation unless a specific object or compact trajectory group matches the reported behavior.

public LEO catalog objects catalog IDs considered19595Historical element rows19595
Above horizon at report minute1169At/above 10 deg586
Largest same-sky cluster586

No compact same-launch/designator group survived the report threshold. In this condition, satellite density remains context only and cannot by itself resolve a report with hard features.

5.2 Same-Launch / Same-Designator Candidate Groups

#Launch DateCountAzimuth SpanElevation SpanMotion LabelsMembers
No same-launch group identified.

5.3 Primary Group Members

ObjectNORADLaunchAzElRange kmApparent MotionElement Age h
No members available.

5.4 Bright-Sky Context: Top public LEO catalog objects Objects by Elevation

ObjectAzElRange kmApparent MotionLaunch Date
NORAD 4898961.0885.781205.61eastward, setting21060Y
NORAD 44509124.9983.51392.23eastward, setting92052G
NORAD 3044552.2381.35721.53westward, setting99025AFG
NORAD 17177298.476.891537.17eastward, setting86094A
NORAD 57451358.376.82576.71eastward, setting23105X
NORAD 410593.7274.05857.62westward, setting00055S
NORAD 46137243.3573.46571.96westward, setting20057W
NORAD 303557.9472.561474.11eastward, setting67114A
NORAD 45709347.2972.34575.25eastward, setting20035BE
NORAD 54104126.8972.02567.88eastward, setting22136BF
NORAD 29841337.4871.2640.0eastward, setting99025EK
NORAD 9649308.9669.552184.9westward, rising76126F

5.5 Largest Sky Clusters

#CountAzimuth SpanElevation SpanMotion Labels
15860.15-359.46 deg10.0-85.78 degeastward, level, eastward, rising, eastward, setting, nearly fixed azimuth, setting, westward, level, westward, rising, westward, setting

5.6 Space-Track SATCAT Enrichment

Space-Track SATCAT metadata was pulled as a cached subset for NORAD catalog IDs appearing in this packet's evidence tables. This section adds owner/type/status context to the propagated object candidates.

Packet SATCAT subset rows5370Fetched2026-05-19T01:19:50+00:00
This case NORAD IDs checked30SATCAT rows matched30
Top ownersCIS: 11, US: 10, PRC: 6, FR: 1, TBD: 1, UK: 1
Object typesPAYLOAD: 15, DEBRIS: 14, UNKNOWN: 1

5.7 Space-Track Metadata for Top Propagated Objects

NORADObject NameTypeOwnerLaunch DateDecay Date
48989ONEWEB-0271PAYLOADUK2021-07-01n/a
44509ARIANE 42P DEBDEBRISFR1992-08-10n/a
30445FENGYUN 1C DEBDEBRISPRC1999-05-10n/a
17177COSMOS 1803PAYLOADCIS1986-12-02n/a
57451STARLINK-30216PAYLOADUS2023-07-24n/a
41059NOAA 16 DEBDEBRISUS2000-09-21n/a
46137STARLINK-1586PAYLOADUS2020-08-182025-09-26
3035ESSA 6 (TOS-D)PAYLOADUS1967-11-10n/a
45709STARLINK-1421PAYLOADUS2020-06-042024-08-29
54104STARLINK-5203PAYLOADUS2022-10-20n/a
29841FENGYUN 1C DEBDEBRISPRC1999-05-10n/a
9649COSMOS 886 DEBDEBRISCIS1976-12-27n/a

5.9 NASA / NOAA / ADS-B Expansion Layer

This source layer adds free NASA context that was previously missing from most packet cases. It is contextual evidence; it does not replace aircraft, satellite, balloon, or radar causation tests.

Hour UTC2023112416
Cloud amount74.63%
Precipitation0.0 mm/hr
10 m wind2.26 m/s
Temperature8.59 C
Relative humidity43.77%
DONKI +/-1 dayCME: unavailable; FLR: unavailable; GST: unavailable; HSS: unavailable; IPS: unavailable; MPC: unavailable; RBE: unavailable; SEP: unavailable; WSAEnlilSimulations: unavailable

5.10 Horizons Sky Geometry Context

ObjectAzElApp Mag
Sun171.8528.42-26.77
Moon31.94-33.68-11.89
Venus223.3134.10-4.23
Mars174.0128.831.40
Jupiter19.64-34.45-2.85
Saturn92.67-16.680.84

5.11 Free Source Availability and Remaining Work

LayerStatusCase-Specific Note
ADSB.lol historical release listingscreened/presentplanes-readsb-staging-0 1214.0 MiB; planes-readsb-prod-0 1215.0 MiB
ADSB tracks downloadednot yet exhaustedRequires targeted extraction from large daily history archives before claiming aircraft exhaustion.
NOAA GOES imagerynot yet exhaustedNeeded for cloud/lightning visual context.
NOAA GOES ABI/GLM manifestscreened/presentPublic S3 object availability for the report hour.
NOAA NEXRAD weather radarnot yet exhaustedWeather radar only; not ATC radar.
NOAA IGRA radiosondescreened/presentNeeded for balloon drift plausibility.
ASOS/METAR weather observationsscreened/presentNearest station surface observations around report time.

5.12 Weather, Imagery, and Balloon Query Plan

This plan identifies the concrete free sources needed for the next case-specific weather and balloon checks. These are not treated as completed exclusions until the data are downloaded and plotted.

GOES satelliteGOES16
GOES ABI prefixhttps://noaa-goes16.s3.amazonaws.com/ABI-L2-CMIPF/2023/328/16/
GOES GLM lightning prefixhttps://noaa-goes16.s3.amazonaws.com/GLM-L2-LCFA/2023/328/16/

5.13 Nearest Weather-Airport Candidates

StationNameDistance kmCoordinate
KTTNTrenton Mercer Airport34.6040.28, -74.81
KMMUMorristown Municipal Airport36.6040.80, -74.41
KEWRNewark Liberty International Airport49.6040.69, -74.17
KABELehigh Valley International Airport59.7040.65, -75.44
KPNENortheast Philadelphia Airport60.1040.08, -75.01

5.14 Nearest Radiosonde Stations

StationNameDistance kmCoordinate
USM00072501UPTON; NY.161.4040.87, -72.86
USM00072518ALBANY COUNTY AIRPORT; NY.253.3042.75, -73.80
USM00072403STERLING; VA.294.7038.98, -77.49
USM00072402WALLOPS ISLAND; VA.301.5037.93, -75.48
USM00072528BUFFALO/GREATER BUFFALO INT.;421.3042.94, -78.72

5.15 ASOS/METAR Surface Weather Observations

surface visibility ranged 10-10 statute miles; no precipitation was reported in the retained observations; low/broken/overcast cloud layers were present in at least one observation. Surface ASOS/METAR observations describe airport-level weather and visibility; they do not by themselves prove conditions at the sighting altitude or line of sight.

StationDistance kmNearest obs UTCVis SMSkyWind deg/ktMETAR
KTTN34.602023-11-24T15:53:00+00:0010.00SCT04000, M, M, Mn/a / 5.00KTTN 241553Z VRB05KT 10SM SCT040 09/00 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP199 T00890000
KMMU36.602023-11-24T15:45:00+00:0010.00SCT04400, BKN25000, M, M340.00 / 10.00KMMU 241545Z 34010G17KT 10SM SCT044 BKN250 10/M01 A3014
KEWR49.602023-11-24T15:51:00+00:0010.00SCT04500, BKN25000, M, M310.00 / 9.00KEWR 241551Z 31009KT 10SM SCT045 BKN250 11/M01 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP199 T01061006

5.16 NOAA IGRA Radiosonde Wind Profile

Nearest sounding implies mean 0-12 km wind drift toward 277.5 deg at 18.58 m/s; a passive balloon could drift about 133.8 km in two hours under this crude layer-average model. Radiosonde winds are sparse station soundings; balloon drift remains approximate without launch time, ascent rate, object altitude, and exact line-of-sight bearing.

StationNameDistance kmSounding UTCMean drift bearingMean speed m/s2h drift kmMax wind
USM00072501UPTON; NY.161.402023-11-24T12:00:00+00:00277.5018.58133.8046.50 at 12109.00 m

5.17 NOAA GOES ABI/GLM Public File Manifest

GOES public S3 objects are listed for the report hour where available. This is an availability manifest, not yet a rendered satellite image.

SatelliteGOES16Bucketnoaa-goes16
ABI sample files12GLM sample files12

ABI sample objects:

GLM lightning sample objects:

5.18 ADSB.lol Historical Aircraft Track Extraction

This layer uses the downloaded ADSB.lol daily history archive to test actual aircraft tracks near the report coordinate and minute. It is not treated as a primary-radar substitute; it is a transponder/receiver-derived aircraft screen.

Archive window2023-11-24T15:00:00+00:00 to 2023-11-24T17:30:00+00:00Radius300.00 nmi
Trace files scanned16434Tracks retained1200
Support statusaircraft strong candidate presentBest-candidate noteordinary-object favored if the report's count, color, direction, and motion can be reconciled with the candidate track(s).
Strong candidates98Plausible candidates211
Reporting-aircraft tracks excluded1Weak candidates198

5.19 Top ADS-B Candidate Tracks

AircraftStatusScoreMin dist kmNearest dt minAlt ftAzEl
N569FG C172 a748ddstrong aircraft candidate82.924.900.023925214.7012.84
N352DN A321 a3ec93strong aircraft candidate81.6014.500.0834000342.6033.57
N495PC TBM7 a623f3strong aircraft candidate81.050.502.3230097.6038.85
N7319G C172 a9d25cstrong aircraft candidate78.240.901.69200178.604.82
N512AF P28A a668e3strong aircraft candidate77.399.700.01310011.503.53
N5331F P28A a6be13strong aircraft candidate75.032.000.073100313.402.30
N8628A B738 abd9b6strong aircraft candidate74.8249.100.0832375157.2011.40
N20105 C172 a19830strong aircraft candidate73.041.000.052900173.501.66

6. Annotated Evidence Figure

Annotated orbital object figure
Generated figure copied from the local evidence-plot output. It is included as an analytic visualization, not as original sensor imagery.

7. Analytic Comparison

CriterionReport EvidenceAnalytic Treatment
Time constraint2023-11-24T16:15:00+00:00Directly used in propagation; this is a hard filter, not descriptive context.
Location constraint40.58300, -74.74170Directly used as observer point for azimuth/elevation/range computation.
Count / patternnot explicitNo compact same-launch count match; retained for unresolved report features.
Motion languagenot explicitApparent motion labels in the object table provide a plausible but not definitive comparison.
Radar / official checknot observed on ATC radarNo ATC radar return can be consistent with distant orbital objects or visual aircraft-light hypotheses, but it does not prove the match.
Analytic dispositionnormal-object237UAP00322 is assessed as normal-object favored because the available public evidence gives a case-specific ordinary-object candidate: strong ADS-B aircraft candidate N569FG C172 a748dd at 5.2 km, azimuth 214.7 deg, elevation 12.84 deg, 0.03 min from report. Dense satellite presence alone is not treated as causation in this packet.

8. Caveats, Limitations, and Collection Gaps

Appendix A. Public Report Text Extracts

237UAP00322

SKYWATCH INCIDENT REPORT



PRIMARY CODE: UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENON
Date: 16:15 11/24/2023                       Callsign: N197LL                            Origin: HPN
Status: Closed                               Aircraft: SF50                              Destination: CAE
POD: DEN                                     Tail Number:                                New Destination:
Reporting Facility: ZNY                      Operator:                                   Operator Type: General Aviation
                                                                                         Paged: YES




REMARKS

Aircraft reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon while SW bound at FL260, within 500 feet 1 NM in the vicinity of SBJ. The
unknown phenomenon was described as contrail or object. The UAP was not observed on ATC facility radar system. No other
aircraft in the vicinity to correlate the phenomenon.




SKYWATCH INCIDENT REPORT | DATE: 2023-11-24T16:15 | POD: DEN | PAGE 1 of 1

Appendix B. Computational Evidence Digest

This appendix preserves the principal computed values used in the assessment, shortened to the fields most relevant to audit and review.

{
  "report_time_utc": "2023-11-24T16:15:00+00:00",
  "source_excerpt": "Aircraft reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon while SW bound at FL260, within 500 feet 1 NM in the vicinity of SBJ. The unknown phenomenon was described as contrail or object. The UAP was not observed on ATC facility radar system. No other aircraft in the vicinity to correlate the phenomenon.",
  "historical_starlink_element_rows": 19595,
  "observer": {
    "lat": 40.58300018310547,
    "lon": -74.74169921875,
    "source": "aviation_fix:vicinity of SBJ (public text extract 237UAP00322)"
  },
  "case_id": "237UAP00322",
  "starlink_above_horizon_at_report_time": 1169,
  "starlink_catalog_ids_considered": 19595,
  "largest_same-sky_cluster_count": 586,
  "starlink_at_or_above_10_deg": 586,
  "top_starlinks": [
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 61.08,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 175.02,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 178.75,
      "element_age_hours": 2.94,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T19:11:36.892320+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 85.78,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 54.37,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 23.19,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 1203.94,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 180.85,
      "ground_track_label": "S",
      "launch_date": "21060Y",
      "launch_designator": "21060Y",
      "name": "NORAD 48989",
      "norad_id": "48989",
      "range_km": 1205.61,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 40.9057,
      "subpoint_lon": -73.9652
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 124.99,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 146.73,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 149.41,
      "element_age_hours": 1.17,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T17:25:12.782496+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 83.5,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 53.69,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 26.07,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 1292.77,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 151.62,
      "ground_track_label": "SSE",
      "launch_date": "92052G",
      "launch_designator": "92052G",
      "name": "NORAD 44509",
      "norad_id": "44509",
      "range_km": 1392.23,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 39.9075,
      "subpoint_lon": -73.4999
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 52.23,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 351.13,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 348.14,
      "element_age_hours": 1.47,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T17:43:24.618432+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 81.35,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 33.82,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 7.9,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 673.84,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 345.85,
      "ground_track_label": "NNW",
      "launch_date": "99025AFG",
      "launch_designator": "99025AFG",
      "name": "NORAD 30445",
      "norad_id": "30445",
      "range_km": 721.53,
      "sky_motion_label": "westward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 41.1172,
      "subpoint_lon": -73.8234
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 298.4,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 350.03,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 1.15,
      "element_age_hours": 4.01,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T20:15:25.303968+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 76.89,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 54.83,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 28.14,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 1504.58,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 6.8,
      "ground_track_label": "N",
      "launch_date": "86094A",
      "launch_designator": "86094A",
      "name": "NORAD 17177",
      "norad_id": "17177",
      "range_km": 1537.17,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 41.7533,
      "subpoint_lon": -77.7282
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 358.3,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 94.77,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 100.6,
      "element_age_hours": 3.65,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T12:36:00.378432+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 76.82,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 31.36,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 6.42,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 565.4,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 103.44,
      "ground_track_label": "ESE",
      "launch_date": "23105X",
      "launch_designator": "23105X",
      "name": "NORAD 57451",
      "norad_id": "57451",
      "range_km": 576.71,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 41.6706,
      "subpoint_lon": -74.7847
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 3.72,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 198.79,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 196.64,
      "element_age_hours": 2.75,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T18:59:47.498208+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 74.05,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 49.77,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 15.18,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 825.54,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 194.97,
      "ground_track_label": "SSW",
      "launch_date": "00055S",
      "launch_designator": "00055S",
      "name": "NORAD 41059",
      "norad_id": "41059",
      "range_km": 857.62,
      "sky_motion_label": "westward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 42.4569,
      "subpoint_lon": -74.5774
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 243.35,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 142.21,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 136.12,
      "element_age_hours": 0.56,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T15:41:24.194400+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 73.46,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 31.14,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 6.02,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 553.48,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 130.85,
      "ground_track_label": "SE",
      "launch_date": "20057W",
      "launch_designator": "20057W",
      "name": "NORAD 46137",
      "norad_id": "46137",
      "range_km": 571.96,
      "sky_motion_label": "westward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 39.9669,
      "subpoint_lon": -76.31
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 57.94,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 169.44,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 189.27,
      "element_age_hours": 3.7,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T19:56:50.508096+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 72.56,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 66.35,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 32.83,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 1415.66,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 199.77,
      "ground_track_label": "SSW",
      "launch_date": "67114A",
      "launch_designator": "67114A",
      "name": "NORAD 3035",
      "norad_id": "3035",
      "range_km": 1474.11,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 42.2519,
      "subpoint_lon": -71.0262
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 347.29,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 43.2,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 49.31,
      "element_age_hours": 6.12,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T22:22:09.978816+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 72.34,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 26.84,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 4.78,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 553.37,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 52.28,
      "ground_track_label": "NE",
      "launch_date": "20035BE",
      "launch_designator": "20035BE",
      "name": "NORAD 45709",
      "norad_id": "45709",
      "range_km": 575.25,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 41.9932,
      "subpoint_lon": -75.1682
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 126.89,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 129.76,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 130.48,
      "element_age_hours": 0.56,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T15:41:18.021120+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 72.02,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 23.8,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 3.45,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 545.95,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 131.42,
      "ground_track_label": "SE",
      "launch_date": "22136BF",
      "launch_designator": "22136BF",
      "name": "NORAD 54104",
      "norad_id": "54104",
      "range_km": 567.88,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 39.6998,
      "subpoint_lon": -73.2351
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 337.48,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 344.74,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 346.19,
      "element_age_hours": 1.74,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T17:59:31.842240+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 71.2,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 24.62,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 3.71,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 606.43,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 345.81,
      "ground_track_label": "NNW",
      "launch_date": "99025EK",
      "launch_designator": "99025EK",
      "name": "NORAD 29841",
      "norad_id": "29841",
      "range_km": 640.0,
      "sky_motion_label": "eastward, setting",
      "subpoint_lat": 42.1455,
      "subpoint_lon": -75.6139
    },
    {
      "azimuth_deg": 308.96,
      "azimuth_plus_2m_deg": 232.45,
      "azimuth_plus_5m_deg": 168.44,
      "element_age_hours": 4.48,
      "element_epoch": "2023-11-24T11:45:56.601216+00:00",
      "elevation_deg": 69.55,
      "elevation_plus_2m_deg": 81.32,
      "elevation_plus_5m_deg": 58.5,
      "epoch_altitude_km": 673.26,
      "ground_track_bearing_deg": 149.51,
      "ground_track_label": "SSE",
      "launch_date": "76126F",
      "launch_designator": "76126F",
      "name": "NORAD 9649",
      "norad_id": "9649",
      "range_km": 2184.9,
      "sky_motion_label": "westward, rising",
      "subpoint_lat": 43.7134,
      "subpoint_lon": -80.3052
    }
  ],
  "ad

Appendix C. Source Exhaustion Checklist

This checklist records which source layers were actually applied to this individual report. It separates checked evidence from unexhausted collection gaps so the disposition is auditable when the PDF is read alone.

Source LayerStatusCase-Specific Note
NARA public UAP/FAA reportreviewedSource IDs: 237UAP00322
Time and observer coordinateextracted2023-11-24T16:15:00+00:00 at 40.58300, -74.74170
Orbital object propagationscreenedpublic LEO catalog objects
Space-Track SATCAT metadatascreened30 NORAD IDs checked; 30 matched in local SATCAT subset
Launch-object/SupGP layernot applicablenot a launch-object case
NASA/JPL known small-body layernot selectedCAD/Horizons secondary screen included when this case had NEO-relevant timing/geometry
NASA POWER/Horizons/DONKI contextscreenedHourly weather, sky geometry, and space-weather context where local JSON is present
Aircraft/ADS-B layerscreened16434 trace files scanned; 1200 tracks retained; aircraft strong candidate present
NOAA GOES imagery layernot exhaustedCloud/lightning imagery layer for the report hour
NOAA GOES ABI/GLM manifestscreenedPublic S3 object listing for the report hour
NOAA/NEXRAD weather radar layernot exhaustedWeather radar only; not ATC/primary radar
NOAA IGRA radiosonde layerscreenedBalloon drift plausibility layer
ASOS/METAR surface weatherscreenedNearest station visibility, cloud, wind, precipitation, and METAR observations
Weather/balloon source planplannedNearest weather-airport, GOES, and radiosonde queries are listed where local plan JSON is present
Final analytic dispositionnormal-object favoredPresence-only satellite density is context only; a stronger case-specific fit is required for normal-object disposition

References and Source Links

  1. National Archives and Records Administration. Records Related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) at the National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps
  2. National Archives and Records Administration. Record Group 615: Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection. https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps/rg-615
  3. National Archives and Records Administration. Bulk Downloads for Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog/catalog-bulk-downloads/uap-bulk-download
  4. National Archives Catalog. Records from the Federal Aviation Administration Relating to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, National Archives Identifier 493468575. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/493468575
  5. National Archives direct digital object. 237UAP00322.pdf, FAA UAP report record copied from RG 615 bulk digital objects. https://s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-615/493468575/237UAP00322.pdf
  6. Hugging Face dataset. oxzoid/space-track-tle-history: historical TLE archive used for public LEO catalog objects screening. https://huggingface.co/datasets/oxzoid/space-track-tle-history
  7. Space-Track.org. Public source for the underlying U.S. Space Surveillance Network TLE distribution referenced by the historical TLE archive. https://www.space-track.org/
  8. Space-Track.org. API documentation for SATCAT and catalog metadata classes used for local enrichment. https://www.space-track.org/documentation#/api
  9. NASA POWER. Hourly point API documentation for meteorological context. https://power.larc.nasa.gov/docs/services/api/temporal/hourly/
  10. NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics. Horizons API documentation for observer geometry and apparent magnitude queries. https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/doc/horizons.html
  11. NASA. DONKI space weather API documentation. https://api.nasa.gov/
  12. ADSB.lol. Interactive API documentation and OpenAPI definition. https://api.adsb.lol/docs
  13. ADSB.lol. Historical open-data release documentation. https://www.adsb.lol/docs/open-data/historical/
  14. OpenSky Network. REST API documentation. https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/rest.html
  15. OpenSky Network. Historical data via Trino documentation. https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/trino.html
  16. NASA GIBS. Global Imagery Browse Services API documentation. https://nasa-gibs.github.io/gibs-api-docs/
  17. NASA Earthdata. Common Metadata Repository search API documentation. https://cmr.earthdata.nasa.gov/search/site/docs/search/api.html
  18. NOAA / AWS Open Data. GOES public dataset registry. https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-goes/
  19. NOAA / AWS Open Data. NEXRAD public dataset registry. https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-nexrad/
  20. NOAA NCEI. Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/weather-balloon/integrated-global-radiosonde-archive
  21. Iowa Environmental Mesonet. ASOS/AWOS/METAR data download service. https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/request/download.phtml
  22. CelesTrak. Spacetrack Report No. 3: Models for propagation of NORAD element sets. https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/spacetrk.pdf
  23. CelesTrak. Supplemental GP element sets documentation and current endpoint index. https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/