The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 18-Oct-54-Craponne.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
In an article in the regional newspaper Le Quotidien de la Haute-Loire for October 21, 1954, one reads that a "luminous ball" was seen at Craponne in the Haute-Loire:
Messrs Varenne, Sicard, Bernard Mathieu and his son, who plucked potatoes on Monday, October 18, 1954, around 05:30 p.m., at the route de Soulage, saw in the sky at a height estimated at 400 or 500 meters, a ball of a bright red color.
It was observed for 5 to 6 minutes during which time it was motionless, then it reportedly rose vertically at high speed to be lost from sight in the south-east direction.
[Ref. lqh1:] NEWSPAPER "LE QUOTIDIEN DE LA HAUTE-LOIRE":
Misters Varenne, Sicard, Bernard Mathieu and son[s?], whereas they were collecting potatoes Monday towards 05:30 p.m., road of Soulage, in Craponne, saw in the sky within 4 or 500 meters of height, a ball of a sharp red. They managed to observe it during 5 to 6 minutes motionless, then they saw it rise vertically at a high speed and disappear in a south/east direction.
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The fast rise, if it were real, would exclude an astronomical explanation. The duration of the motionless phase would exclude a meteor. But the case is not very strong because there is little data and no investigation or verification has been conducted.
There was the case of Chambois the same day at the same hour, but the two locations are 460 km apart in straight line.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Craponne, Haute-Loire, multiple, Varenne, Bernard Mathieu, field, Soulage, ball, red, duration, motionless, maneuver, fast, vertical
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| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | March 19, 2006 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | June 6, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | March 31, 2019 | Addition of the Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
