ALSACAT-1994-12-00-GEUDERTHEIM-1
The May 2008 newsletter of the Alsatian ufology group SPICA indicated that on February 5, 1996, G. Schildnecht of the A.N.E.L.D.L.N. had conducted a quick investigation without research that must be taken with every precaution, because the witness, one Mrs F. who requested anonymity, might in good faith have been deceived by a natural phenomenon.
Her observation had taken place in Geudertheim in the Bas-Rhin, at an undetermined day in December 1994, at approximately 07:15 p.m.
It was dark and she was alone in the dining room of the lodge watching television.
Suddenly her eye was drawn to the window directed to the South, where she saw what she misttook for a split second for being the Moon.
It was a dark orange ball, about the size of a soccer ball, brightly lit. Mrs. F. had the felling of being observed and froze in place. she was unable to specify if the ball illuminated the dining room, the lighting of the room being on.
She felt no physical or psychological effect.
After 30 seconds, the phenomenon had gone extinct where it was.
Mrs. F. was very frightened and had a restless night. She spoke to her husband who took it with derision.
She found no trace outside the next day.
Since then, there was a significant number of malfunctions on their TV set, such as superimpositions of images and short outages, unresolved and unexplained by the repairman.
| Date: | December 1994 |
|---|---|
| Time: | ~07:15 p.m. |
| Duration: | |
| First known report date: | February 5, 1996 |
| Reporting delay: | 1 year. |
| Department: | Haut-Rhin |
|---|---|
| City: | Geudertheim |
| Place: | In front of the TV in the home's dining room, UFO in the sky or on the ground. |
| Latitude: | 48.729 |
| Longitude: | 7.755 |
| Uncertainty radius: | 1 km |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Witness(es) ages: | Adult or aged. |
| Witness(es) types: | Married woman. |
| Reporting channel: | Investigation by ufologist G. Schildnecht. |
|---|---|
| Type of location: | In front of the TV in the home's dining room, UFO in the sky or on the ground. |
| 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: | Frightened. |
| Witnesses interpretation: | Not the Moon. |
| Hynek: | NL |
|---|---|
| ALSACAT: | Unidentified, but insufficient information. |
[Ref. spa1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "SPICA":
Investigation conducted ON 02/05/96 by Schildnecht G. of the a.n.e.l.d.l.n. At the time (to be taken with all the prudence of an investigation carried out quickly without research)
Witness: Mrs. F. (anonymity requested) Location:. Geudertheim (67)
Date: December 1994 (no exact day)
Time: about 7:15 p.m.
That night, around 07:15 p.m. it was night. Mrs. F. was alone in the dining room of her small house, where she was watching television. When suddenly her eyes are attracted to the window which gives on the southern direction, she sees what she takes for a split second to be the Moon. In fact, it is a dark orange ball, the size of a soccer ball, brightly illuminated. It gave Mrs. F. the feeling she was observed. F. froze on the spot and could not specify if the ball illuminated the dining room, the light from the room being on. She felt no physical or psychological effect. After 30 seconds, the phenomenon went off on the spot. Mrs. F. was very frightened and a restless night. She spoke to her husband who took it with derision. Since then a number of important and regular television dysfunctions like image superimpositions and short outages, unresolved and unexplained by the repairman, occur. No traces were discovered by the witness the next day outside.
The person is in good faith and may have been deceived by a natural phenomenon.
|
All this is, indeed, too vague to make a "good" case.
An exact direction, an angular size, the elevation, the moon position, a search for the specific day using a TV guide - the lady might have remembered very well what show she was looking - and other useful information is missing.
We can then think of a red moon, some headlight or flashlight, a meteor, etc. The lady was perhaps sleepy in front of the TV, and a phase of hypnagogic sleep interrupted by a light may well explain her fear and restless night.
As of the failures of the TV, while I do not deny that it was appropriate to mention them, it is not necessary unless evidence to the contrary to think that they were caused by aliens or some other, more extraordinary, cause.
In fact, I get the feeling that the investigator was eager to find any "classical" anomaly possible, rather than check if an ordinary cause could explain the observation.
Unidentified, but insufficient information.
* = 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 | July 23, 2015 | Creation, [spa1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | July 23, 2015 | First published. |
