The Texas Tech Sightings

In August 1951, three professors from Texas Technological College witnessed formations of soft, glowing lights pass over Lubbock on multiple occasions. Their observations sparked one of the most significant UFO flaps of the early era.

The Witnesses

Dr. W.I. Robinson, Dr. A.G. Oberg, and Dr. W.L. Ducker were sitting in Robinson’s backyard on August 25, 1951, when they saw the first formation. All three were scientists with credentials in geology and engineering.

The Sightings

The professors saw a semicircular formation of 15-30 soft, glowing lights pass silently overhead from north to south. Over the following weeks, they observed similar formations multiple times, carefully noting their observations.

The Characteristics

The lights moved faster than any known aircraft. They maintained precise formation. They were soft and glowing, not like aircraft lights. They made no sound. The professors estimated their altitude at several thousand feet.

The Public Response

Word spread, and hundreds of Lubbock residents began watching the skies. Many reported seeing the same formations. An 18-year-old student photographed the lights, producing some of the earliest UFO photographs.

The Explanation

The Air Force proposed the lights were reflections off plovers, a migratory bird. The professors rejected this explanation, noting the lights’ color, speed, and formation were inconsistent with birds.

Assessment

The Lubbock Lights are significant because the primary witnesses were credentialed scientists who observed the phenomenon multiple times. Their careful observations resist easy explanation.