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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 of Strasbourg, on January 2, 2000:

Case number:

ALSACAT-2000-01-02-STRASBOURG-1

Summary:

"Cendrine", a Strasbourg resident, reported on January 3, 2000, by email to to the Swiss ufology group GREPI, that on Sunday, January 2, 2000, in Strasbourg around 06:15 p.m., she was smoking at the window - she has a baby and cared about its health.

From her window, she sees only a small section of the sky. She is often stargazing. That evening, the sky was very clear, the moon was not visible in the sky area she could see, and night had fallen.

In the center of the city of Strasbourg, she saw a huge triangle with fixed lights.

The triangular shape was determined by fixed lights of orange color, maybe five lights per side on two sides, none on the side that was at the front relative to the direction of the movement; which gives a "V" with the point at the rear.

She indicates that there are often planes passing by, but on a different trajectory, and that plane lights are flashing, while those on this triangle were not.

She ruled out a plane because it was flying more slowly than a plane and because it could not have flown with the point of the "V" at the rear, it would have been at the front, but she wondered if this could have been a very big hang glider.

Because she sees only a small portion of the sky, the sighting was not very long, but long enough to impress her by its large size.

She had difficulty evaluating the altitude, saying it was not very high in the sky, perhaps between 100 and 200 meters high. She gave no angular size but reiterated that the object was very big in her window.

Someone was taking care of her daughter during this time. She says that on Sunday at this time the city is silent, and the triangle had produced a gentle low sound that this person who looked after her daughter had noticed. The noise was like the blow of a glider.

Immediately after the sighting, she had phones to the Strasbourg Observatory to tell about the event, but the observatory was closed. She did not dare to call the police.

She cannot believe she was the only one who saw the object, and hopes that information is found about it.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date: January 2, 2000
Time: ~06:15 p.m.
Duration: Not long.
First known report date: January 3, 2000
Reporting delay: 1 day.

Geographical data:

Department: Bas-Rhin
City: Strasbourg
Place: From behind the window in Strasbourg, UFO in the sky.
Latitude: 48.581
Longitude: 7.751
Uncertainty radius: 4 km

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses: 2
Number of known witnesses: 1
Number of named witnesses: 0
Witness(es) ages: Adult.
Witness(es) types: Mother.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel: Email to the Swiss ufology group GREPI.
Type of location: From behind the window in a big city, UFO in the sky.
Visibility conditions: Night
UFO observed: Yes
UFO arrival observed: No
UFO departure observed: No
Entities: No
Photographs: No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es): No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): No.
Witness(es) feelings: Puzzled.
Witnesses interpretation: Not a plane, maybe a very large hang glider.

Classifications:

Hynek: NL
ALSACAT: Possible helicopter formation, or Chinese lanterns.

Sources:

[Ref. gri1:] WITNESS REPORT TO THE G.R.E.P.I. WEBSITE:

Strasbourg yesterday evening (01/02//2000) at about 6:15 p.m.

I have a baby and for his [or her] health I smoke at the window.

My eyes are often turned to the sky, I am stargazing.

The sky was very clear.

Around 06:15 p.m. in the center of the city, I saw a huge triangle with fixed lights.

From my window I see a small part of the sky. No moon in this area of the sky at the time of the presence of the triangle.

There are planes that often pass, but in a different path, and the planes lights are flashing like stromboscopes [sic], those on this object are not.

A very big hang-glider? ...

The triangular shape was determined by fixed lights (orange color) on the sides (maybe 5 on each line that forms the V (no light closing the triangle ........).

The object was not moving in the direction of the tip of the triangle but the other way. IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PLANE FLYING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THAT ITS HEAD.

It advanced more slowly than a plane, I did not see it for a long time because of my small portion of sky, but long enough to be impressed by its size.

I find it hard to assess its altitude, not very high in the sky (maybe between 100 and 200m). I'm sorry, it's very difficult to be precise about the height, but the object was very large seen from my window.

There was another person who took care of my daughter at this time. On Sunday, at that time, the city is quiet. The triangle was a small low sound and this person noticed the noise. Like the sound of blow of a glider.

I'm sure other people have seen this object.

Right after, I phoned to the Strasbourg Observatory to tell about this event, but it was closed. I did not dare to call the police.

Am I the only one in Strasbourg to have seen this huge object? I do not think I am the only one! ?????????

One should ask around. Thank you.

Cendrine (Strasbourg)

Other witnesses? Come forward! grepi@ovni.ch

[Ref. ome1:] "LES OVNIS DU MONDE":

This website copied the report to the GREPI [gri1], without indicating its source.

Discussion:

Map.

I of course searched the web to see if others had reported anything at that time above Strasbourg, but I found nothing.

A very large hang glider seems to be totally impossible. How could anyone fly a very large hang glider above Strasbourg at night, carrying about 10 lights?

The mention of a sound might suggest the flight of a formation of helicopters, the orange color might suggest Chinese lanterns, though I would rather expect Chinese lanterns one day before, on New Year Eve.

There are therefore possible explanations, however, I do not feel at ease pronounce anything certain. In my experience, it already happened that an apparently low strangeness report I received from Strasbourg turned up after investigation to something of very high strangeness, and confirmed by numerous witnesses.

Lastly, I want to note that on April 11, 2017, I received an email from another person who said she conforms this sighting.

Evaluation:

Possible helicopter formation, or Chinese lanterns.

Sources references:

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

File history:

Authoring:

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

Changes history:

Version: Create/changed by: Date: Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross December 13, 2014 Creation, [gri1], [ome1].
1.0 Patrick Gross December 13, 2014 First published.
1.1 Patrick Gross March 14, 2018 In the Discussion, addition of the paragraph "Lastly, I want to note that on April 11, 2017,...".

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This page was last updated on March 14, 2018.