ALSACAT-1990-00-00-STRASBOURG-1
In April 2008, a man sent his testimony by e-mail to GEIPAN, the "Group for the Study and Information on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena", a public service within the French National Center for Space Studies.
He explained that he wrote because he had learned from a documentary that this service studied unidentified aerial phenomena.
He reported an observation from his childhood, on a Thursday in 1990 or 1991, probably in the spring or the summer, when he was finishing his primary school studies.
After lunch, about 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., on his way to school under a sunny, hot weather, with another child, in Strasbourg, he was crossing a large crossroads to climb the Mathis brothers' bridge, when, while going up the bridge, an object passing in front of the sun dazzled him.
He had distinguished three intense lights forming a triangle, "3 bright spots at equal distances"; he noted that the object made no noise and was rather slow.
During the sighting, the object had stopped above the crossroads, and the witness had turned around, following the object with his eyes.
The object "extinguished", and, "from memory", for a very short moment he could see a perfectly equilateral triangle, metallic in appearance, gray, with geometric patterns on its lower face, which looked like "the diagrams that form an elecronic circuitry."
Then the object had "like volatilized", it "flew away at an incredible speed in the direction of the Strasbourg railway station (approximately)."
Requesting anonymity, the man hoped to learn wether other people had seen this phenomenon at the same time. He also reported two other observations, made in the Czech Republic, one at night, in clear weather, far from large cities without stray lights, of a fairly large but very distant yellow "ball of fire", then a few fractions of seconds later, another smaller, more orange fireball appears, went around the first one about 5 times then both disappeared. He specified that the whole village had witnessed it because he had called everyone.
He also reported that a few years later on the hill overlooking the hamlet, with the whole family gone to sleep under the stars, looking up at the sky, they observed something that looked like a satellite but was moving in zig-zag.
The GEIPAN had explained that given the age of the testimony, and the uncertainty of the date, it was not possible to verify check the presence or absence of an airplane; GEIPAN also invited the witness to complete the formal sighting report form available on their website, but the witness apparently did not do that.
| Date: | In the 1990's |
|---|---|
| Time: | 13:00 |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | 2008 |
| Reporting delay: | 17 years. |
| Department: | Bas-Rhin |
|---|---|
| City: | Strasbourg |
| Place: | Between crossroad and the bidge of the Frères Mathis. |
| Latitude: | 47.577 |
| Longitude: | 7.735 |
| Uncertainty radius: | 200 m. |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 2 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Witness(es) ages: | 11 or 12 or 13 |
| Witness(es) types: | Schoolboys. |
| Reporting channel: | By email to the GEIPAN. |
|---|---|
| Type of location: | City bridge. |
| Visibility conditions: | Daytime, sunny, warm. |
| 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: | ? |
| Hynek: | DD |
|---|---|
| ALSACAT: |
[Ref. gei1:] GROUPE D'ETUDES ET D'INFORMATIONS SUR LES PHENOMENES AEROSPATIAUX NON IDENTIFIES (G.E.I.P.A.N.):
Observation of 3 strong lights in triangle.
A witness reports that in 1990 or 1991 while walking down the street, he was dazzled by an object passing in front of the sun. This object was formed by three intense lights that bounded an equilateral triangle. The object moved slowly and made no noise. It was metallic in appearance, gray in color and featured geometric designs. It suddenly disappeared at an "incredible" speed. This late (April 2008) and little documented testimony does not allow us to make a serious investigation which could validate or not certain hypotheses in particular that of the passage of an airplane.
| DATE OF THE OBSERVATION | --/--/1990 |
| GENRE | M |
| CONDITION | |
| ENVIRONMENT GROUND OCCUPATION | Artificialized territories - Urban areas |
| WEATHER CONDITIONS | Sun of light night |
| LOCAL DATE AND HOUR | --/--/1990 |
| REFERENCE FRAME | Urban landscape |
| START OF THE OBSERVATION | Conditions of appearance provoked by the witness |
| END OF THE OBSERVATION | Conditions of disappearance provoked by the phenomenon |
| LOCALIZATION | |
| HEADING | direction of the strasbourg railway station |
| NATURE OF THE OBSERVATION OR DESCRIPTIVE TERMS | Object |
| CHARACTERISTIC OF THE OBSERVATION | Single object |
| GLOBAL SHAPE | 3D - 1 symmetry axis - Conical |
| APPARENT SPEED | Fast |
| NOISE | None, Total silence |
| EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT | Unknown - Not specified |
| NUNBER OF OBSERVED PHENOMENA | Only one |
|
From: on behalf of Geipan
To: []
Subject: RE: REPORT AN UNIDENTIFIED PHENOMENON
Hello,
Thank you for bringing your observation testimony to our attention, which will be taken into account as it stands. Indeed, given the seniority any investigation seems difficult, if not impossible.
You will find on the home page of the GEIPAN website in the documentation section a complete questionnaire that can guide you in the transcription of your observation testimony (this questionnaire is currently at the end of the list of documents). Please complete this questionnaire and send it to us.
We remind you that the Geipan only deals with cases of observations made on French territory.
Regards,
GEIPAN
Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
--Original message-----
From: []
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 2:51 AM
A: Geipan
Subject: REPORT AN UNIDENTIFIED PHENOMENONHello,
I take the liberty of writing to you, following a documentary mentioning your activity, on the study of unidentified aerial phenomena.
I would like to share with you my testimony of an event that dates back to my childhood and has never left my mind.
It must have been in 1990 or 1991, I was then in the end of my primary studies. according to my memory, my observation took place in the spring summer period (tell you the exact me.... after 17 years..), I can say that it was on the other hand a Thursday, in the middle of the day, after lunch, on the way to school with sunny and warm weather (I estimate the time between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.). I was then accompanied by another witness to the scene.
place of observation: Strasbourg, I was then crossing a large crossroads to climb the bridge of the Mathis brothers, while climbing the bridge the object dazzled me passing in front of the sun, one distinguished three intense lights forming a triangle, the object emitted no noise and was rather slow. It stopped during the observation above the crossroads I turned around following the object with my eyes which "extinguished". For a very short moment I could see a perfectly equilateral triangle (from memory), metallic in appearance, gray, with geometric designs on its
|
"underside" like the designs on an electronic circuit plate. Then the object is [sic] like volatilized, it flew away at an incredible speed in the direction of Strasbourg station (approximately),
to recap:
place of observation: Strasbourg
year of observation: 1990 or 91
viewing condition: daytime in clear sunny weather
viewing time: 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
type of "object": luminous triangle composed of 3 luminous spots at equal distances, then this same triangle in "metallic" form.
thank you for listening, I would have liked to know wether other people saw this phenomenon at the same time.
Regards,
I would also like to point out other later events that I observed abroad, in the Czech Republic, in the village of ZDRAR near the town of CHYSE. and this between the years 1993 and 1997.
1st phenomenon: at night, on a clear day, far from big cities without stray lights: appearance in the sky of a rather imposing but very distant yellow "ball of fire", then a few fractions of a second pass and another ball of fire appears in its turn smaller, and more orange, it goes around the first ball about 5 times then both disappear. The whole village is a witness because I called everyone.
2nd phenomena [sic] a few years later: on the highest point of the village, the hill which overlooks the hamlet, we had left the whole family to sleep under the stars, we looked at the sky, and we discussed the stars and and as we were looking at the sky, the luminous dot caught our attention because it was moving in a totally incredible manner, it could not have been a satellite because the luminous object as small as a star in the sky, had a zig zag trajectory at right angles, and moved at an incredible speed. we followed it with our eyes as long as we could.
note: thank you in advance for not publishing my personal information on a media accessible to the public, you can however keep my contact details if you wish to contact me.
|
From: Patenet Jacques
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 2:25 PM
To: []
Subject: Your testimonial
Hello,
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to investigate an old testimony like yours. We frequently have sightings of flying triangles, some are still unexplained, but many others are also confusions with airplanes seen from a particular angle. In your case it is obviously impossible to verify now the hypothesis of a plane
Regards
Jacques PATENET
Head of GEIPAN
[Ref. spa1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "SPICA":
| City | Date and hour of observation | General shape Identification |
General color Hypothesis |
Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRASBOURG | Years 1990 to 1999 | triangular Unidentified |
grey or metallic None |
Unsolved -lack of info |
|
Below: the mentionned places.
|
Taken at face value, the report describes what is hard not to interpret as an extraterrestrial craft.
Unfortunately, on the other hand, the now-adult witness reports something he allegedly experienced as a child; and no investigation or verification were made.
Possible extraterrestrial visitors, unknown reliability.
* = 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 |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | September 4, 2015 | Creation, [spa1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | September 4, 2015 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | February 20, 2023 | Addition [gei1]. Explanations changed, was "Totally insufficient information." Discussion changed, was "No date, no hour, no source reference... It is impossible to look for an explanation." Summary changed, was: "In a listing of UFO sighting reports in the Bas-Rhin on their website, the Alsatian ufology association SPICA noted that in the years 1990-1999, a 'triangular' thing of 'metallic or gray' color had been seen in Strasbourg; the case remaining unsolved for lack of information." |
