The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 15-Oct-54-Aix-en-Provence.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper Le Provençal for October 16, 1954, reported that a kind of very brilliant saucer was observed for more than a minute in Aix-en-Provence in Bouches-du-Rhône. Motionless, it was at a very high altitude.
In 1979, the two "skeptical" ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker succinctly indicated that it was a weather balloon.
In a February 1968 article, Raymond Veillith, the founder of the journal Lumières Dans La Nuit, spoke of the cases of that day that were caused by a balloon launched by the University of Padua in Italy.
But the case continued to be published, with the "11:30 a.m." sighting hour, without mention of this likely explanation.
[Ref. lpl1:] NEWSPAPER "LE PROVENCAL":
A sort of very shining saucer was observed during more than one minute in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône). Motionless, it evolved at a very high altitude.
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
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October 15 [, 1954] (continued)
daytime: Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, Haute-Loire, Lozère, Tarn, Isère:big shining slow obj. (balloon laucnhed in Padova (Italy)
[... other cases...]
[Ref. bbr1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
The two authors briefly state that on October 15, 1954 in Aix-en-Provence, what was observed was a weather balloon.
[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two authors and ufologists indicate that on October 15, 1954 at 11:30 in Aix-en-Provence in the Rhone delta, a sort of very shiny saucer was observed during more than one minute, staying motionless high in the sky.
The source is indicated as Le Provençal for 10/16/1954.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4135: 1954/10/15 11:30 2 5:28:00 E 43:32:00 N 3333 WEU FRN BDR 6:7
AIX-en-PROVENCE,BDR,FR:SCR HANGS HI/SKY 1min+:VERY BRILLIANT
Ref# 30 FIGEUT[sic]&RUCHON: OVNI: Le 1er Dossier Page No. 171 : TOWN &CITY
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Bouches du Rhône in Aix en Provence on October 15, 1954 at 11:30 hours "a kind of very brilliant saucer which, during more than one minute, remains motionless high in the sky."
The source is indicated as "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. Alain Lefeuvre pub. 1979".
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541014 | 14.10.1954 | Aix Provence | France |
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Probably the balloon of the University of Padua.
See Raymond Veillith's information and Aimé Michel's information.
The photograph of the ballon by the Observatory of Haute-Provence:
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(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, saucer, shining, high, duration, motionless
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | December 7, 2005 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | April 24, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Addition [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | February 25, 2017 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | August 5, 2019 | Addition of the Summary. Explanation changed, was "Balloon." |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | July 17, 2022 | Addition [gqy1]. |
