ALSACAT:

observation in the [department] 67

Spica.57

Sept. 4, 2005

http://www.spica.org

Source: SPICA Forum

Title : Luminous dot moving from West to East.

Message : Hello, Last night 09/03 at 09:30' p.m. (I admit not to remember the exact time) in the village of Osthoffen - Bas-Rhin - in the company of about twenty people, I have witnessed the passage of a luminous "dot" light apparently not "classic"

"size" significantly greater than that of a satellite (... a very big star, to try to find a comparison);

predominantly white light, very bright, not blinking, the same intensity from the beginning to almost the end of the observation that lasted about 1 minute 30 ';

quite low speed (seemed slower than a satellite to me) ;

straight line displacement;

altitude, seemingly constant, impossible to assess very precisely, but it seemed much lower to us than that usually "observed" for a satellite (to make another comparison, this dot was moving to our eyes "under" the stars... I know, this is not necessarily easy to understand);

total lack of noise;

Note that all other witnesses also found that the "phenomenon" did not seem to correspond to a classical explanation of the satellite, airplane, meteorite type...

Please, did other people see this phenomenon?.

Remaining available to you.

Luminous dot moving from West to East. (continued)

SPICA Association

Sept. 17, 2005

Following the testimony of M. L: of his observation of September 3, 2005, at 09:30 p.m., the SPICA Association contacted the witness to check a few more details such as the angular elevation and the appearance and disappearance directions of the phenomenon.

According to the statements of the witness, the phenomenon appeared above the Scharrach and disappeared towards Strasbourg. The phenomenon passed above their heads, and they were able to observe the phenomenon for a very long time.

Following this information, we were able to establish that the phenomenon that these witnesses observed was the ISS (International Space Station), which appeared in the sky of Osthoffen at 9:26 p.m. at a 10° altitude and West-Southwest, to pass over their heads at 09:29 p.m. at a 84° altitude in the North-West and disappear at 9:31 p.m. at 20° elevation in the North-East. Its magnitude was 0.8

M. P. has also seen this phenomenon, although he is in the Haute Savoie. Not knowing his place of observation, we took it as the Annemasse city. ISS was also there at 9:26 p.m. observable at 10° in altitude West, rising to a 53° elevation in the North Northwest at 09:29 p.m. and disappear at a 14° elevation at 9:31 p.m. in the North East. The magnitude was there only 0.1.

We thank the witness to have contacted us, only way to find a possible explanation for the observed phenomenon.

09/03/2005 Osthoffen (67)

Source : SPICA Forum

Title : Luminous dot moving west to east.

Message : Hello, Yesterday evening 09/03 at 09:30 p.m. (i confess not to remember the exact time), in the village of Osthoffen - Bas-Rhin -, in the company of twenty people, i witnessed the passage of a bright "dott" a priori not "classic"

* "size" quite larger than that of a satellite (...a very big star, to try to give an image) ;
* light of mostly whitehue, very bright, not flashing, intensity the same from the beginning to the near endwhich lasted about 1 min 30' ;
* speed quite slow (seemed to me slower than a satellite) ;
* straight line move ;
* altitude, a priori constant, impossible to determineexactly, but seemed to us less high than that usually "noted" for a satellite (to take another image, this dot movedfor our eyes "below" the stars...i know, it's not really easy to understand) ;
* total lack of noise ;
* to note that the whole of the other witnesses also thought that this phenomenon did not seem to match a classic explanation, of the satellite, plane, meteorite types...

Please, did other people see this phenomenon ?.

Remaining available to you.

Continued

Message: I live in Haute Savoie and I was able to observe the same thing, at the same time. It seemed to me to go vertically from home, heading southwest to north east

Like a very big satellite low to the unusual orbit, but never disappeared in the shadow of the earth

As a matter of shooting star, this one lasted 1 to 2 minutes, and again, I did not have the patience to see it disappear behind the horizon.

I did not understand what it was, but surely not a plane or a helicopter (no noise, no drag), nor a balloon (much too fast)

Continued

Following Mr. L.'s testimony of his observation of 3 September 2005 at 21:30, the SPICA association contacted this witness to check some additional points, such as the angular altitude and the direction of appearance and disappearance of the phenomenon.

According to the witness, the phenomenon appeared above the Scharrach and disappeared towards Strasbourg. The phenomenon passed over their heads, and they could observe the phenomenon for a very long time.

Following this information, we were able to establish that the phenomenon observed by its witnesses was the ISS (International Orbital Station) which appeared in the Osthoffen sky at 21:26 at 10 ° altitude and in the West. Southwest, to pass over their heads at 9:29 pm to 84 ° of altitude to the North-North-West and to disappear at 9:31 pm at 20 ° of altitude to East-North-East. Its magnitude was -0.8

Mr. P. was also able to see this phenomenon, although it is in Haute Savoie. Not knowing its place of observation, we took as Annemasse city. ISS was also observable at 21:26 at 10 ° altitude in the west, to 53 ° altitude north-northwest at 21:29 and disappear at 14 ° altitude at 21:31 northeast. The magnitude was only -0.1.

We thank the witness for having contacted us, the only solution to find a possible explanation to the phenomenon observed.

Christian Morgenthaler / For the SPICA investigators

OSTHOFFEN (67) Saturday, September 3, 2005

Source: SPICA Forum

At about 9:30 p.m., in the company of twenty people, I have witnessed the passage of a "dot" of light apparently not "classic" of a "size" significantly greater than that of a satellite, of predominantly white light, very bright, not blinking, the same intensity from the beginning to almost the end of the observation which lasted about 1min30.

Identified: Passage of the ISS