ALSACAT-1977-02-00-FESSENHEIMLEBAS-1
The ufology magazine "Lumières Dans La Nuit" for July / August 1989 published am investigation of their delegate Philippe Wiedenhof on a sighting in February 1977 in Fessenheim-le-Bas.
A couple returning by car from a family evening on a night from a Saturday to a Sunday around 02:30 a.m., was just outside the village of Quatzenheim, when they saw before them, on their left, a red-orange ball of light, slightly oval according to the woman, at a distance of 5 to 6 km, located in the triangle defined by Nordheim, Kuttolsheim and Fessenheim-le-Bas.
The light was clear, with sharply defined contours, and not blinding. It was "like phosphorescent" and "it looked like the rising moon, but with a double size."
The couple first thought it was the steeple of the church of Kuttolsheim that was illuminated, but after thinking about it, they rejected this idea because this church was 3 km on the right side of the road, a straight road on the section they were driving on.
The thing seemed initially motionless. The couple continued to observe it while driving, and they found that the object approached and went down. At one moment, the car exceeded the object; which was now about 50 meters on the left of the witnesses, at an estimated height of 30 meters.
Its size, color and shape had not changed.
The husband accelerated because they were worried, the woman was afraid that the object would bump into the car.
Quickly, they arrived in Kuttolsheim, and out of this village, the husband stopped, gots out of the car, but saw nothing. The investigator said that Kuttolsheim is located in a natural basin.
According to Christian Valentin, author of a book about UFOs in Alsace, the investigation was resumed and completed ten years later by Christian Morgenthaler, Alain Fischer and René Faudrin. They re-interviewed the witnesses who kept their statements unchanged. They had done the trip again, checked and eliminated several hypotheses, such as weather balloon, helicopter, light reflection and they did not find any ordinary explanation.
Christian Valentin notes that a misinterpretation of the moon was not considered by the investigators, but he thinks that because the exact date was not known, the position and phase of the moon cannot be checked.
| Date: | February 1977 |
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| Time: | ~02:30 a.m. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | 1989 |
| Reporting delay: | 12 years. |
| Department: | Bas-Rhin |
|---|---|
| City: | Fessenheim-le-Bas |
| Place: | Driving by car on the D228 from Quatzenheim to Kuttolsheim, UFO in the sky. |
| Latitude: | 48.626 |
| Longitude: | 7.566 |
| Uncertainty radius: | 100 m |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 2 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 2 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Witness(es) ages: | Adults. |
| Witness(es) types: | A couple. |
| Reporting channel: | Report by local ufologist Philippe Wiedenhof. |
|---|---|
| Type of location: | Driving by car on a road, UFO in the sky. |
| Visibility conditions: | Night. |
| UFO observed: | Yes |
| UFO arrival observed: | Yes |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes |
| Entities: | No |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | Puzzled, frightened. |
| Witnesses interpretation: | Moon, illuminated steeple, but no. |
| Hynek: | NL |
|---|---|
| ALSACAT: | Probable Moon. |
[Ref. ldl1:] MAGAZINE D'UFOLOGIE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
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The initial collection of facts is the work of Philippe Wiedenhoff (then LDLN delegate), during the first half of 1977. The various recent investigations were carried out by Alain Fischer and Christian Morgenthaler, on the one hand, and Christian with René Faudrin, LDLN delegate, between October 1987 and February 1989.
The facts (extract from the initial collection)
Mr. and Mrs. A. (anonymity requested) return by car from a family evening, one night from Saturday to Sunday, in February 1977. Around 2:30 a.m., at the exit of the village of Quatzenheim, they see in front of them, on their left, a luminous red-orange ball (slightly oval, according to Mrs. A.), 5 to 6 km away and located in the triangle defined by Nordheim, Kuttolsheim and Fessenheim-le-Bas.
It is a clear light, with well-defined contours, a light that does not dazzle, like phosphorescent. "It looked like the rising moon, but with a double size."
At first, it seems motionless.
While driving, Mr. and Mrs. A. continue to observe the phenomenon. Their first impression was to see the steeple of the church of Kutolsheim illuminated, but, after reflection, they reject this idea: the church is located 3 km further, on the right of the road, this portion of which is rectilinear.
As they continue on their way, the witnesses notice that the object is approaching on the way down. At one point, the car passed the object, which was now about 50 meters to the left of the witnesses, at an estimated altitude of 30 meters. Its size, color and shape have not changed.
Mr. A. accelerates, because everyone is upset, and Mrs. A. is afraid that the object would enter in the car. Quickly, they enter Kuttolsheim. On leaving this village, Mr. A. stops, gets out of the car, but sees nothing (it must be said that Kuttolsheim is located in a natural basin).
No car malfunctions, health problems, noise or odors appeared.
The weather (according to witnesses)
Clear, starry sky. Temperature close to 0°C. No wind. No moon.
The places
Quatzenheim is located 14 kilometers west-north-west of Strasbourg. The road used, the D 228, follows the route of an old Roman road, straight for 3.5 km between Quatzenheim and Kuttolsheim. This last village leans in a hollow, to the east of a small mountain range which stretches from Marlenheim to Mommenheim, from southwest to northeast), and rises to 270 m in this place. Between the two is Fesseheim-le-Bas, in a basin. It is above all a place of cereal crops.
Witnesses
Mr. A.R., 47 at the time, is a mason, deputy mayor and fire department chief. His wife is a seamstress.
The testimony
Heard a little more than ten years later, in October 1987, the witnesses did not vary one iota in their statements, except that they were sometimes able to be more precise:
1. When at the exit of Quatzenheim they see the phenomenon, it is visible at 40° to the left of the road. It is dark red according to Mr. A., dark orange according to his wife, and 5 to 6 kilometers away. (See photo 1)
2. As they continue to drive, it seems to them that the thing is approaching them. About one hundred meters from the intersection of D 228 with D 720, after Fessenheim-le-Bas, the phenomenon is around 45° to the left, between 500 and 1000 meters. Its diameter is still estimated at 2 meters.
At this place, the road descends towards the intersection; the witnesses lose sight of the phenomenon.
3. Five hundred meters after this crossroads, Mrs. A. shouts at her husband to stop, because she has the impression that this ball is going to run into the car. The phenomenon is then located 60° to the left of the road, about 50 meters from the witnesses, and at a height of about 20 meters. Its shape is then oval according to one of the witnesses, round according to the other. (Photo 2)
Color and brightness have not changed. The light does not hurt the eyes, and above all (which surprises the witnesses), does not illuminate the surroundings.
4. Taken with fear, Mr. A. accelerates, and it is only when leaving Kuttolsheim that he stops and gets out of the vehicle, to look towards Fessenheim-le-Bas, for three minutes. He won't see anything. It is true that, from this place, the view is blocked by the houses of Kuttolsheim.
5. The next day, Mr. A. telephones his brothers-in-law, who took the RN 4 (slightly parallel, about 2 kilometers away), but they both noticed nothing.
The following week, Mr. A. will go to Fessenheim-le-Bas, with a friend, to look for a possible witness, but it will be in vain. Same disappointment when reading the press. However, a vehicle preceded them, on the D 228, that night, and its occupants could have seen and testified...
If it hadn't been for his wife, Mr. A. would have doubted himself.
6. The witnesses are not sure of the date. M. A. thinks it was in the second half of February, because they would not have moved during the first, due to the risk of snow. So it could have been the 20th, or the 27th...
The context
Nocturnal lights: during the observation, the witnesses saw neither the public lighting of Fessenheim-le-Bas (because that of the small towns goes out at midnight), nor the lights of the TDF tower of Nordheim, installed on the Stephansberg (375 m), but only those of a vehicle preceding them by one kilometer.
Noises, smells: no noise, except that of the engine, and they did not stop until the exit of Kuttolsheim. Their car radio was off. No smell.
Psychology: They felt no discomforts, except a touch of panic, although they seemed to be 50 meters from the phenomenon. There was no mention of a UFO
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during the meal. The witnesses, moreover, are not interested in these phenomena, and have read nothing, except a few press articles.
Alcohol: Mr A. says he has not drunk more than he should.
Mrs. A. does not drink. In addition, the meal had been over since 9 p.m.
During the hearing (in 1987): the witnesses being very comfortable, their account was without hesitation, except as regards color and shape. This difference could also be explained by a lack of vision of Mr. A. who is in particular color blind. During the reconstruction of the trip in the field, Mr. A. seemed to fully relive the scene.
Feelings of the witnesses (10 years later): "There was something, but what?... I don't know". "What surprised me the most was the slowness of this ball, because I believed that UFOs flew faster...".
The investigation
What could this phenomenon be?
It is apparently unidentified by these people. The meaning of our approach was to be certain of this, rather than simply convinced by a testimony, even assured of the good faith of the witnesses. It is moreover the characteristic of an investigation, to proceed to the verification of the facts, then to proceed by elimination of the hypotheses, by comparing the facts with the known or conceivable fields, and to keep only that which resists. Even if this one may not please us, if it satisfies the rigors of a method, reason must prevail.
We are passionate enough and convinced that the phenomenon exists, and quite strict with ourselves, but this case has intrigued us in many ways. First of all:
- The TDF antenna in Wasselone-Marlenheim, located near Nordheim, during our first investigation, it had become a fixture, to such an extent that I preferred to leave the place to Alain and Christian. Would Mr. A. and his wife confused this antenna? Contact made with the person in charge, the one which currently exists was erected at the end of 1979. Previously, it was a tower of 120 m, provided with a fixed red light at its end; there was no approach searchlight on the ground, and no work took place in February 1977. Moreover, although apparently it fell within the viewing angle of the witnesses, at the beginning, it never could be located after the crossroads of Fessenheim-le-Bas, about 50 m from the vehicle and 20 m in height... especially since at this place, it is out of sight, behind a curtain of trees.
- a weather balloon, a helicopter (or a plane!).
There, no issue. the weather balloon which could have corresponded would have been launched from Essey-les-Nancy, at 0:00, for a radio-sounding of winds aloft. According to the Strasbourg weather forecast, the only Sunday in February 1977 when the sky was clear was the 27th, between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. Temperature: from 0 to -1 °; pressure 1002, 5 mb; wind: 5 m / s, from the north-northeast. The high winds could not have brought the balloon to this placet, except possibly from Germany, but then, on the ground, how could it have moved from southwest to northeast, as well as appear luminous?
As for a helicopter, there was indeed an Alouette Ill from the Civil Security of Entzheim and the 1st Combat Helicopter Regiment, from Phalsbourg, but no aircraft could have perform a night flight (in VFR).
There is still the plane. The Strasbourg Entzheim airfield is close (14 km to the south-east), and also supports Air Base 124. Kuttolsheim is also a spot of transfer for air routes to get there, but not at such low altitude. As for military activity, it is zero on a Sunday. Unless it is a small tourist plane, but it would be suicide, in these places, at night; or the (wandering) landing light of an airliner.
- Reflection of the lights of a vehicle on a high voltage line?
Second hypothesis that we have verified on the location, because a 225,000 volt power line from the EDF crosses the site, about fifty meters to the left of the D 228, but from south-east to north-east. We were able to do this in February 1989 (at night, of course). Apparently, the lights of vehicles traveling on the N 4 or the D 228 could not have caused this phenomenon, being practically parallel to the line (unless they were out of adjustment!). Maybe from the D 720, which connects N 4 and D 228, but I have never been able to see Christian's lights reflecting on it...
- Lights of a vehicle traveling on the D 720?
After the TDF antenna hypothesis, it is the strongest, because all the angles of view of the phenomenon from the D 228 intercept this road at spots where we could have seen the rear (red) lights of a vehicle (according to a map study. We wanted to check this (still in February 1989), Christian playing the role of the phenomenon on the D 720, me on the D 228, from spots 1, 2, and 3. All we could see is a vague whitish halo corresponding to the lights of a German heavy truck, but not its front, rear, or Christian's lights.
- Lights of a vehicle traveling on a road, on the mountainside, in the distance?
Why not, since we were there! There is no road on the hillside on the small range stretching from Westhoffen-Marlenheim to Mommenheim. On the other hand, this could be the case on the slope of the Vosges, further, about 20 km, but the strong vegetation which reigns there radically opposes this idea.
Duration of the phenomenon
This was not estimated by the witnesses. We therefore made the trip again, several times, timing, at different speeds. At worst, the phenomenon was only observed for 4 minutes (at around 80 km / h).
What to conclude?
The phenomenon was unusual for the witnesses. They could not identify it. Our assumptions did not allow this to be achieved either. This phenomenon therefore remains unidentified. Christian returned to Fessenheim-le-Bas, in order to look for other witnesses there, or the memory of unusual traces which could have been detected. It was in vain. No one had even heard of this sighting.
A fault all the same: it was not possible for us to know whether the EDF had noticed an anomaly that night.
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[Ref. cnu1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "CNEGU":
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Ref. F/00/67/77 02 27 (01) IQ: 1,1,1,1,1 (5) IE: 0
On Sunday, February 27, around 2:30 a.m. (UTC 1:30 a.m.), a couple returned from a family evening in the car on a night with a clear and starry sky, without moon. On leaving Quatzenheim (67), they see in front of them an orange-red luminous ball whose size seems twice that of the full moon. The phenomenon seems fixed at first. While continuing their route, the witnesses note that the object approaches while descending to 30 m of altitude and to approximately 50 m of the vehicle. The driver accelerated and the car entered Kuttolsheim. At the exit of the village, they no longer see the object.
After verification, it is a misinterpretation with the moon.
Source: LDLN investigation 67 of 1977, ONA investigation 1987 and 89, LDLN No. 298p38/39.
[Ref. cvn2:] CHRISTIAN VALENTIN:
Former journalist Christian Valentin published in 2012 a very interesting book telling the story of UFO sightings, flying saucers sightings, in Alsace, from the beginning to 1980.
In this book, he reports that there has been a case in February 1977 in Fessenheim-le-Bas that was not published in press, but in the Lumières Dans La Nuit magazine #298 for July / August 1989, as an investigation by by Philippe Wiedenhof, LDLN delegate at the time.
He indicates that the investigation was resumed and completed ten years later by Christian Morgenthaler, Alain Fischer and René Faudrin.
He then provides "extracts:"
"Mr. and Mrs. A. (anonymity requested) return by car from a family night, a night from Saturday to Sunday in February 1977. Around 2:30 a.m., at the exit of the village of Quatzenheim, they see in front of them, on their left, a red-orange luminous ball (slightly oval according to Ms. A.) 5 to 6 km away, situated in the triangle defined by Nordheim, Kuttolsheim and Fessenheim-le-Bas.
It is a well-desfined light, with well-defined contours, a light that does not dazzle, like phosphorescent. "It looked like th risinge moon, but with a double size."
At first it seems motionless.
While driving, Mr. and Mrs. A. continue to observe the phenomenon. Their first impression was that they were watching the steeple of the church Kutolsheim illuminated, but after thinking about this, they reject the idea: the church is located 3 km further on the right of the road, which is rectilinear on this section.
Pursuing their trip the witnesses find that the object approaches while going down. At one time, the car exceeds the object; which is now at about 50 meters on the left of witnesses at an estimated height of 30 meters. Its size, color and shape did not change.
Mr A. accelerates because all are excited, and A. is afraid that the object enters the car. They quickly enter Kutolsheim. At the exit of the village, Mr A. stops, gets out of the car, but sees nothing anymore (One must say that Kutolsheim is located in a natural hollow)."
.../...
Christian Valentin says that a decade later, investigators interviewed the witnesses again, and they did not change their report, repeating the journeys, checking and eliminate several assumptions such as weather balloons, helicopter, light reflection... and they did not find what it was.
He notes that a misinterpretation with the moon was not though about by the investigators, but as the exact date is not known, the position and phase of the moon could not be verified.
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It is not at all my habit to "advertise" a book or anything, and I have no interested relationship with the author, but I wanted to say a word on the book by Christian Valentin, "Mythes et Réalités des Phénomènes Aériens Non Identifiés" (i.e. "Myths and Realities of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (cover on the left) , ref. [cv2]; which, as its subtitle indicates, is about Alsatian UFO sighting reports and the saucer lore in Alsace.
I think Alsatian ufologists and, generally, people interested in the UFO question, or in the history of Alsace, my region, would probably like this book.
The 144 pages book is sober but well presented, unbiased, richly documented and illustrated. It is the first work in print specifically about UFO sightings in Alsace. (There was another one a few years ago, but it was partly made by copying - pasting without mention of the sources, portions of my website, especially the Alsatians cases I almost exhaustively documented in my catalog of UFO sightings in France in 1954, and copies from another websites; the trivial explanations I proposed or gave there being almost always stripped off!)
The author does not want to prove or disprove the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors or some other so-called "extraordinary" explanation, he rather offers a chronologically ordered review of Alsatian UFO reports, starting from the origin and stopping in 1980, based on known sources ufology, on the articles of the regional Press, and cases less known or even unreleased so far that he collected directly with the witnesses. His own comments are printed in a different color, references to the sources are always given. A very nice work in my opinion!
The author currently has a blog where he shows what libraries in Alsace have the book available, see: christian.valentin.overblog.com
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Let's comment this case.
(Note: Fessenheim-le-Bas in the Bas-Rhin department is not Fessenheim in the Haut-Rhin department.)
The mere fact that the witnesses apparently said "one would have said it is the rising moon, but with double size" should be enough to raise an eyebrow. Indeed, if the only difference with the moon is the double size, one must remember that this is a very common illusion, when the moon is low. It seems bigger.
I do not agree with the idea that the lack of an exact date prevents checking the moon possibility. Indeed, we do know it was in February 1977, and we do now that it was "a night from Saturday to Sunday." This gives us several possible dates, so no specific date, but it allows checking all these possible dates. If the Moon was never there, the case for the Moon would be closed.
The time is 02:30 a.m., so it was on a Sunday. The possible dates are:
February 1, 1977 February 8, 1977 February 15, 1977 February 22, 1977 February 29, 1977
The ephemeris show for those times:
| Date | Moon rise | Moon set | Its direction | Its elevation | Its phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1, 1977 | 05:15 p.m. | 07:43 a.m. | 237° | 47° | Phase: 0.89679 (Gibbous growing) 89.7% of the surface is lighted. |
| February 8, 1977 | 00:01 a.m. | 11:32 a.m. | 126° | 21° | Phase: 0.82915 (Gibbous shrinking) 82.9% of the surface is lighted. |
| February 15, 1977 | 07:35 a.m. | 05:12 p.m. | N/A | N/A | Not visible. |
| February 22, 1977 | 11:05 a.m. | 05:58 p.m. | N/A | N/A | Not visible. |
| February 29, 1977 | 02:52 p.m. | 04:51 a.m. | 255° | 35° | Phase: 0.76664 (Gibbous growing) 76.7% of the surface is lighted. |
So we have three dates with the presence of the moon, with directions and elevations.
The challenge now is to identify the path of the car, and directions to the UFO.
A map is needed:
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According to the report, we know that:
Since the were at the exit of Quatzenheim, they are the red dot, saying that the UFO is in fromt of them to their left.
They say it is "in the triangle defined by Nordheim, Kuttolsheim and Fessenheim-le-Bas", this is consistent, and allows to draw the median observation direction line in green.
This line gives the direction 295°.
It is a median line of the triangle, compatible with their assumption of the bell tower of Kuttolsheim was illuminated. The limits of the approximation is at most 281 ° further south, at most the 305° further north.
As they give up the idea of an illuminated Kuttolsheim steeple as this place is on the "right" of their road, it can be reasonably thought that the right direction is more to the median line than the maximum limit to the north of the said triangle.
As they say they are then 3 km away from Kuttolsheim, they can actually be located at that time at the green dot, exactly at the exit of Quatzenheim which is indeed just 3 km away from the first houses of Kuttolsheim.
What is also clear is that they made no turn. The road is indeed totally in straight line: they come out of Quatzenheim, they will enter Kuttolsheim, they were necessarily driving on the totally straight line of the D228 road.
Before Kuttolsheim, they pass the object, or the object passes them. It is then on their left. We cannot tell exactly where they are, it is only sure that they are between the exit of Quatzenheim and the entry of Kuttolsheim. In the midst of these limits lies Fessenheim-le-Bas, the crossing of this village is also in straight line.
What is certain is that the thing is being referred to now as located on their left - not to mention that it is reported to have come closer and down, and would have been 50 meters of them - the new position excludes the moon since the road is straight and that the direction of the object has strongly changed from 295° to their left so near the 210°, a change of about 90°.
Even taking the southernmost limit of the "triangle" Nordheim, Kuttolsheim and Fessenheim-le-Bas, we have a change in viewing direction far too important for the moon explanation.
For the three possible dates, the moon was at 237 °, 136 °, 255 °. The "more fitting" moon direction is shown by the red line on my map. We see that is quite away from the direction indicated as "the triangle defined by Nordheim, Kuttolsheim and Fessenheim-le-Bas" whose boundaries are in blue. The moon being in the direction of the red line, how could they have speculated that the UFO might have been the illuminated steeple of Kuttolsheim?
A clear indication of the UFO movement is the indication that the car "exceeds" the object that is on their left. If there had been turns on the road, this would have been explained, but there is absolutely no turn on the D228 road stretch they were driving on during the sighting.
So, unless the report is in error, I do not think that the moon can be a safe explanation for this case.
Having now found the investigation report [ldl1], I thought to start from scratch, the Moon seeming so obvious... since:
Everything seems to me to cry for the Moon!...
With the report, I have two candidate dates:
"A night from Saturday to Sunday, in February 1977."
It is around 2 a.m., so a Sunday, not a Saturday.
"Mr. A thinks it was in the second half of February, because they would not have moved during the first, due to the risk of snow. So it could have been the 20th, or the 27..."
Yes indeed, the 20th or the 27th, but we can keep in mind the 6th and 13th, and add the 6th and 13th of March just in case.
Note that the 27th is the day of "Carême" (Lent), it could have been a marker in the memory of the witnesses, but the question "Was the dinner the weekend of Lent?" was not asked.
I redid my ephemeris:
I therefore keep for a possible "lunar" explanation February 27, 1977 (Moon at 280°) and March 6, 1977 (Moon at 182°).
With the indications of the investigation report, I take again the positions and directions given by Mr. Wiedenhoff and the second investigation:
"... at the exit of the village of Quatzenheim, they see in front of them, on their left ... and located in the triangle defined by Nordheim, Kuttolsheim and Fessenheim-le-Bas."
The second investigation tells us:
When at the exit of Quatzenheim they see the phenomenon, it is visible at 40° to the left of the road.
It wouldn't be 40° but about 20°. But 10 years after the fact, how to be totally precise?
It is dark red according to Mr. A., dark orange according to his wife, and 5 to 6 kilometers away.
This distance obviously makes no sense. One cannot give a precise distance when one observes an object of unknown nature, without limiting background, and further than the range of the stereoscopic vision, which is about fifty meters. The investigators should have tried to determine an angular size, it was not done - we will also be told about a 2-meters UFO; which is also meaningless.
The witnesses are at the red dot at the exit of Quatzenheim. In red, the "triangle" where the thing is located according to the witnesses. In blue, direction of the Moon on February 27; in green, the direction of the Moon on March 6; in red, the "triangle" where the UFO would have been according to the report.
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Conclusion at this point: the Moon was in the right place on February 27, 1977, in the wrong place on March 6, 1977.
It is a clear light, with well-defined contours, a light that does not dazzle, like phosphorescent. "It looked like the rising moon, but with a double size."
Quite the Moon, it is at 15° elevation at 2 a.m. At 02:30, it is at 285°, elevation 10°5'.
"... at first it seems to be still."
It is quite logical: it is almost in front of them.
While driving, Mr. and Mrs. A. continue to observe the phenomenon. Their first impression was to see the steeple of the church of Kuttolsheim illuminated, but, after reflection, they reject this idea: the church is located 3 km further, on the right of the road, this portion of which is rectilinear.
Indeed, the Moon cannot be the steeple, which is too to the right of the Moon (but not to the right of the road, this has been poorly expressed or misunderstood).
As they continue on their way, the witnesses notice that the object is approaching on the way down.
And in the second investigation:
As they continue to drive, it seems to them that the thing is approaching them.
"The approach" comes down to an interpretation: if it goes down, it is to get closer. The wife will even be afraid that it will enter the car.
We still have to explain the descent. Certainly the moon is descending, but very slowly. To make it seem like it is going down, the road just needs to go up a little.
Indeed I find these altitudes:
The route taken is indeed uphill, which explains the interpretation of the "descent" of the UFO.
At one point, the car passed the object, which is now about 50 meters to the left of the witnesses, at an estimated altitude of 30 meters. Its size, color and shape have not changed.
There is an apparent problem here: the car cannot overtake the object if the object is the Moon. But at the same time, we are told that the object is still on their left. And we are not told where the witnesses are. Still on the right side of the D 228? It's not sure. Did they turn to their right at Fessenheim-le-Bas or Kuttolsheim or further? We are told:
The second investigation says:
About a hundred meters from the intersection of D 228 with D 720, after Fessenheim-le-Bas, the phenomenon is around 45° to the left, ...
Same remark, the 45° have become a little too big no doubt with the passage of time, the Moon is at about 20° and, indeed, on their left.
The second investigation says:
3. Five hundred meters after this crossroads, Mrs. A. yells at her husband to stop, because she has the impression that this ball is going to run into the car. The phenomenon is then located 60° to the left of the road, about 50 meters from the witnesses,...
"This crossroads" seems to be that of the D 228 with the D720 in Fessenheim-le-Bas; they would therefore now be between Fessenheim-le-Bas and Kuttolsheim. The thing is always on their left.
There is a huge investigative problem here: we remember that we were told that the UFO was miles away, and now it's ... 50 meters away. If there was any truth to it, then its apparent size must have increased colossally!
However, at no time did the investigators attempt to estimate the angular size... We are told of a UFO of 2 meters, but sometimes miles away from the witnesses, sometimes 50 meters from them. So inevitably, if it had had any reality, it would have been apparently tiny in size and then much larger. This change in apparent size has not been verified at all. This was the only thing that could have eliminated the Moon...
And one can wonder how an object of 2 meters, when it was miles away, could have been described like that at the beginning of the observation, when it was miles away according to the witnesses: "It looked like the rising moon, but with a double size."
This single point shows that the appreciation of a distance of 50 meters at this moment does not hold.
Better yet:
Color and brightness have not changed. The light does not hurt the eyes, and above all (which surprises the witnesses), does not illuminate the surroundings.
All of this coincides very well with the Moon, but not at all with a UFO that would have been miles away and now came close to 50 meters! How would its brightness not have changed?
Quickly, they enter Kuttolsheim. On leaving this village, Mr. A. stops, gets out of the car, but sees nothing (it must be said that Kuttolsheim is located in a natural basin).
So they arrived at the exit of Kuttolsheim. The exit to the northeast is bordered on the left by a curtain of trees for 700 meters, then the road turns north, a bend to the right.
It seems probable to me that the witness stopped the car after the curtain of trees, that they took this turn, so the Moon was known to their left but the hollow would have hidden it. There is indeed on their left vegetation, a rising slope, hills, able to hide the Moon. This is what the report says:
... Kuttolsheim. This last village leans in a hollow, to the east of a small mountain range which stretches from Marlenheim to Mommenheim ...
At the bend after Kuttolsheim, the D 228 road goes up, then it goes down again and enters Wintzenheim-Kochersberg.
So it was their turn to the right after Kuttolsheim that gave them the impression of passing the UFO.
In the second investigation, we are told:
... at the exit of Kuttolsheim that he stops and gets out of the vehicle, to look in the direction of Fessenheim-le-Bas, for three minutes. He won't see anything. It is true that, from this place, the view is blocked by the houses of Kuttolsheim.
Believing to have passed the UFO, the witness looks in the direction of Fessenheim-le-Bas. He is looking in the wrong direction, the Moon is not in that direction.
Since I think he has passed the turn to the right after Kuttolsheim, the Moon is then not to his south-east, but to his west.
Below: Perspective view; I bordered the witnesses route on the D 228 with a red line. (1) First sight of the UFO leaving Quatzenheim. (2) the crossing of the D 228 with the D720 in Fessenheim-le-Bas. (3) the end of the observation at the exit of Kuttolsheim.
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The distance traveled on this route would be approximately 5 km.
The second investigation tells us that the journey takes 4 minutes at a speed around 80 km / h.
So 80 km in 60 minutes, so 80/60 km in 1 minute, so 80/60*4 in 4 minutes, thus 5.3 kilometers. On this somewhat approximate basis, the witnesses therefore did take the turn to the right after Kuttolsheim. If they hadn't started this turn, the trip would have been about 4.5 km.
Probable Moon.
*=Source is available to me.
?=Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
| Main author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editeur: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | March 19, 2016 | Creation, [cvn2]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | March 19, 2016 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | May 31, 2021 | Addition [ldl1]. Explanation changed, was "Unidentified." In the Discussion, addition of the part "Update on May 31, 2021" |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | January 20, 2023 | Addition [cnu1]. |
