The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 11-Mar-54-Aix-en-Provence.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
In the bulletin of the Astronomical Society of France of 1954, it is noted that a Mr. J. Mazet, in Aix-en-Provence, had informed the Society that on March 11, around 01:58 a.m., he saw a red disk, very luminous, the diameter of the full moon, crossing in a few seconds the constellation of the Big Dipper and going away towards Betelgeuse, leaving a reddish trail, without making any noise.
Although this description suggests it was a meteor, the report reappeared as a UFO report in a 1998 ufology book.
[Ref. sas1:] BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETE ASTRONOMIQUE DE FRANCE:
Mr. J. Mazet, in Aix (Bouches-du-Rhône), informs us that on March 11, around 1:58 about a very bright red disc, of the diameter of the full moon, that crossed in a few seconds the constellation of the big bear and went to Betelgeuse leaving a reddish trail, without making any noise.
[Ref. jca1:] JACQUES COSTAGLIOLA:
The author indicates that on March 11, 1954 in Aix-en-Provence, J. Mazet saw a very luminous red disc of the diameter of the full moon which crossed in a few seconds the constellation of the Big Dipper and moved towards Bételgeuse while leaving a reddish trail, without making any noise.
He indicates that the source is "BSAF, written communication 1954 p.108".
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Probable meteor.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Mazet, red, reddish, luminous, size, trail, fast, duration, silent
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 13, 2010 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | October 31, 2011 | In "Explanations", change of "Not looked for yet" to "Probable meteor", and addition of the paragraph "I looked for...". A search on the web and in my documentation did not reveal other sources. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | May 14, 2018 | Additions [sas1], Summary. In the Explanations, removed "I looked for the J. Mazet text in L'Astronomie of 1954, page 108, did not find it. I also checked pages 107, 109, 208, 18, I did not find it either." |
