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Case of the Ungersberg, on August 21 or 24, 2001:

Case number:

ALSACAT-2001-08-21-UNGERSBERG-1

Summary:

In an article on an observation of January 1, 2002, between Guémar (Haut-Rhin) and Sélestat (Bas-Rhin), published in the ufology magazine "Lumières Dans La Nuit" #364, page 28, published in May 2002, author Denis Petit said there was a correspondence with another case:

Pierre Naigeon - already reported of other observations - videotaped in HI/8 format in August 2001, a phenomenon apparently over the Ungersberg and farther to Ribeauvillé and the Hochkönigsburg approximately, a circular object with six "lights" on the perimeter, appearing to hover.

Later, around 2004 - 2006, he published more information on the website of GREPI, a Swiss ufology group. He indicated that it was on August 21, 2001 (then indicated August 24, 2001) at about 10 a.m., and that he had seen nothing. It was only when editing his video clips that he had noticed that two clips of a few seconds showed something unusual:

"Amateur video maker of a good level, I filmed without noticing it a stationary luminous phenomenon, circular, with "bumps" of light at its periphery above a hill named "Ungersberg" in the Bas-Rhin, while I was filming in the Vosges mountains, on August 21, 2001 around 10 a.m. I discovered the anomaly on my rushes at the time of editing. The duration of the two clips is only a few seconds: 1st UFO clip is quite far to the south-east (abnormal "luminous spot" in the sky), the second is closer. The images unfortunately lack pixels because they were shot in Hi-8 format (on Sony V-5000 pro camera), focus wide-angle to infinite, good weather with morning fog, what I was looking for."

"Subscriber for decades to serious magazine LDLN and all along in friendly a relationship with the editor Joel Mesnard, I posted him my observation report with sketches and a VHS copy. An article was about it in the next issue."

"I did not want to report the same thing to the police station, feeling that it would be useless as experience has proved since, as nothing concrete never emerged for the public of the compilations of multiple observations, except permanent misinformation."

"I still have the original filmed document."

"Technically, the original shooting lack contrast because of the whiteness of the hazy sky that day and of this very pale circular and luminous "thing" at an apparently low altitude, I will copy the filmed clip as it is and then I will "modify" the contrasts and brightness to make it more visible. I specify that I was alone on this shooting for a project of amateur film about an Alsatian paragliding club and I saw nothing when filming in the milky light of the sky but the eye of the camera recorded everything."

After stating that the camera was a Sony Hi-8 Analog Pro V5000 of a high resolution of 400 pixels per line, that the editing was done with "Casablanca", that he had filmed this from the Col de la Charbonnière close to the Champ du Feu in the Bas-Rhin, he added:

"The luminous phenomenon seemed stationary apparently over a hill named "Ungersberg" and located approximately between the valley of Villé and Eichoffen near Barr. Altitude impossible to determine, therefore the size also: about 4 or 5 mm at stretched arm without any landmark than the top of the hill. Luminous circle with some "spots" of light a bit strong but not dazzling on the perimeter."

Data:

Temporal data:

Geographical data:

Witnesses data:

Ufology data:

Classifications:

Sources:

[Ref. ldl2:] "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT" MAGAZINE:

[Ref. gr1:] WITNESS REPORT TO THE G.R.E.P.I. WEBSITE:

[Ref. spa1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "SPICA":

Discussion:

"Other observations" by Mr. Naigeon are mentioned. I found one in LDLN #325, it is a "surprise photo" in Austria - he did not see anything either, he is on the picture that was shot by another person. In LDLN #408, there is reportedly something about his sighting of a "false moon" in 2012.

Above: a picture of the camera model indicated in the testimony.

Hi-8 was an analog video standard for consumer camcorders, an improvement of the 8 mm standard. Its resolution was 560 × 480. The TV sets then gave a resolution of 720 x 576, VHS tapes offered 300 * 240. It should not be simplified like this, there are no "pixels" here since this was all analog equipment. VHS only benefitted of 43% of the TV image quality, for example, but it gives the idea. In Hi-8, you enjoyed about 85% of the quality of the TV sets of that time, a copy of VHS quality was considerably less defined.

Displayed on your computer monitor, Hi-8 would give this:

The VHS copy would give this:

This satellite view (below) shows the places mentioned. Mr. Naigeon says it was at the col (pass) of the Charbonnière and that the phenomenon was apparently above the hill of Ungersberg. The distance in a straight line between the two is 7.87 km, the direction is 106°.

From the parking lot of the pass, the Ungersberg hill cannot be seen, hidden by the trees there. Mr. Naigeon was probably closer to the Champ du Feu, where many viewpoints give sight to the Ungersberg, at 117° and 7.5 kilometers in straight line.

As nothing was seen, there is no sense in giving a distance between the witness and the phenomenon, and no sense in talking of a real size of the phenomenon.

The source [gr1] is not dated; but in the same web page, the dates for other observations allow to estimate that [gr1] was published between 2004 and 2006.

In [gr1] Mr. Naigeon gives two different dates: 21 August 2001, then in the same report, August 24, 2001.

Source [ldl2] links this video case to another visual observation by another person the following year; it is documented in its own file.

Because I have not yet seen the initial source [ldl1], because the video is not available to me, my presentation of the case could be incomplete, and explanations or comments can be erroneous.

So I would just say that to me, the case remains "unidentified" but of low strangeness; in particular, nothing was seen visually - it is a "surprise video" in the same way French ufologists speak of "surprise photo", and there is the possibility of luminous reflections, impossible to study nor demonstrate nor exclude without having the video.

Evaluation:

Unidentified, possible luminous reflections.

Sources references:

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

• [ldl1] ? Ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #362, page 32, August 2001.
• [ldl2] * In "1er janvier 2002, entre Guémar (Haut-Rhin) et Sélestat (Bas-Rhin)", report by Denis Petit given by Pierre Naigeon, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #364, page 28, May 2002.
• [gr1] * Witness report made to the ufology group GREPI, Switzerland, not dated, at http://www.ovni.ch/temoign/temoig46.htm
• [spa1] * "DEPARTEMENT 67 - BAS-RHIN", listing of UFO sighting reports by the Alsatian ufology group SPICA, Alsace, France, not dated, found in May 2015, at http://www.spica.org/Page_Listing_67.htm

File history:

Authoring:

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This page was last updated on June 11, 2015.