ALSACAT:

ALSACAT is my comprehensive catalog of UFO sighting reports in Alsace, the region is the North-East of France, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ALSACAT catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file. A general index and thematic sub-catalogs give access to these Alsatian case files.

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Case between Rouffach and Colmar, on April 20, 1977:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1977-04-20-ROUFFACHCOLMAR-1

Summary:

An article in the regional newspaper L'Alsace of April 30, 1977, was about a "luminous phenomenon of Colmar":

They had reported a "strange phenomenon" which had occurred on Wednesday April 20, 1977, around 10 p.m. in the sky of Colmar, several people had spoken of a strong light that only lasted for a short time.

The newspaper indicated that they received other testimonies following their article, including that of two young women employed at the Pasteur hospital who said that it "was bluish, and very bright."

And a resident of Orschwihr, Mrs. Marguerite Simon, who was driving in the direction of Colmar, coming from Rouffach, on April 20, 1977, around 10:00 p.m. - 10:15 p.m., told them:

"I was accompanied by my daughter and I was driving towards Colmar when, suddenly, I found myself in a bright blue light which went well beyond my car and which seemed to fall from the sky. The phenomenon lasted a few moments then the light moved rapidly towards Colmar."

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	April 20, 1977
Time:	10:00 p.m.
Duration:	Short.
First known report date:	April 30, 1977
Reporting delay:	10 days.

Geographical data:

Department:	Haut-Rhin
City:	Between Rouffach and Colmar
Place:	In car, driving.
Latitude:	47.889
Longitude:	7.306
Uncertainty radius:	12 km.

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	2
Number of known witnesses:	2
Number of named witnesses:	1
Witness(es) ages:	Adult, younger.
Witness(es) types:	Woman and her daughter.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	To the regional newspaper L'Alsace.
Type of location:	Driving in a car.
Visibility conditions:	Night
UFO observed:	Yes
UFO arrival observed:	No
UFO departure observed:	Yes
Entities:	No
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Hynek:	NL.
ALSACAT:	Meteor.

Sources:

[Ref. lae1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":

Colmar's luminous phenomenon:
other testimonies

We reported, these last days, a strange phenomenon which had occurred on Wednesday April 20 in the sky of Colmar, in the evening around 10 p.m. Several people have spoken of a strong light that would only last for a moment.

Other testimonies reached us after our article. Thus this light was seen by two young women employed at the Pasteur hospital. "It was bluish, and very bright," they said. A resident of Orschwihr, Mme Marguerite Simon, who was driving towards Colmar, coming from Rouffach, that day, around 10 p.m. - 10:15 p.m., told us: "I was accompanied by my daughter and I was driving towards Colmar when, suddenly, I found myself in a bright blue light which went far beyond my car and which seemed to fall from the sky. The phenomenon lasted a few moments then the light moved rapidly towards Colmar."

Discussion:

Obviously the meteor of that day, also reported from Colmar and Strasbourg.

Evaluation:

Meteor.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

[lae1] * "Le phénomène lumineux de Colmar: d'autres témoignages", article in the regional newspaper L'Alsace, France, April 30, 1977.

File history:

Authoring:

Main author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editor:	Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	June 16, 2021	Creation, [lae1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	June 16, 2021	First published.

This page was last updated on June 16, 2021.