What happened
Flying at 19,000 ft at dusk, the crew saw one large dark object and six small globular ones keep pace with them on the left, about five miles off, for roughly 18 minutes and 80 miles. The large object slowly changed shape. Howard's log sketches show a pear, a shape like a telephone handset and a delta or arrow. He likened the change to a jellyfish or a swarm of bees altering its outline. The small ones shifted position but never above or below it. Goose Bay sent an F-94. As it approached, McDonnell said the small objects merged into the large one, which then shrank and was gone. The case was nicknamed the "flying jellyfish" in Fate magazine. Howard told the BBC he was sure it was solid and "intelligently handled."