Project Blue Book Case #2171. On October 17, 1952, an unidentified object was observed over Taos, New Mexico — an ancient pueblo and arts community in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, approximately 70 miles north of Santa Fe and 50 miles from Los Alamos. Taos occupied a unique cultural position as one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in North America, now witnessing phenomena that defied modern explanation.
Taos sits at approximately 7,000 feet in a high desert valley, with the dramatic Taos Mountains rising to over 13,000 feet to the east. The setting provided clear air, dark skies, and the elevated vantage point of mountain terrain. The community's proximity to Los Alamos placed it within the New Mexico nuclear corridor that had produced more Blue Book unknowns per square mile than anywhere else on Earth.
The case was classified "Unknown."