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 Labaroche, on January 25, 2009:

Case number:

ALSACAT-2009-01-25-LABAROCHE-1

Summary:

In a listing of UFO sighting reports in the Haut-Rhin on their website, the Alsatian ufology association SPICA noted that on Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 11:13 p.m., from Labaroche, a "ball, balloon or melon (3D)" of red color was seen, unidentified, but being probably a meteor.

In fact, the SPICA group had received on their web forum a report whose witness said that looking at the sky, he saw a large fireball crossing the sky at a slow pace, leaving behind it a trail of orange-red color.

The witness said he did not think it was "a meteorite," saying that it was very large and slow, and lasted 3 seconds.

He said it was beautiful and disturbing, and he expected to hear an explosion, but there was none.

There were many other reports from other regions, recognizing the phenomenon as a meteor.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	January 25, 2009
Time:	~11:13 p.m.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	January 28, 2009
Reporting delay:	Minutes, 3 days.

Geographical data:

Department:	Haut-Rhin
City:	Labaroche
Place:	?
Latitude:	48.110
Longitude:	7.192
Uncertainty radius:	3 km

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	?
Number of known witnesses:	?
Number of named witnesses:	?
Witness(es) ages:	?
Witness(es) types:	?

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Listing of sightings by the regional ufology group SPICA.
Type of location:	?
Visibility conditions:	Night
UFO observed:	Yes
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	?
Entities:	No
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Hynek:	NL
ALSACAT:	Meteor.

Sources:

[Ref. rnc1:] "RESEAU NATIONAL CIVIL DE SURVEILLANCE DU CIEL":

Quote:

Labaroche (68) 01/25/2009

Source : Forum SPICA

website : http://www.spica.org/faq.php

Tonight at 11:13 p.m., in Labaroche in the 68, I looked to the sky and a large fireball was crosing [sic] the sky at a slow pace, leaving behind it a trail of orange-red color. A meteorite? I do not think so ,it was very large and slow, (the phenomenon lastet 3 seconds), but beautiful and disturbing because it was so big that i was expecting to hear an explosion after its disappearance. But nothing a silence......did someone else see this phenomenon so beautiful and spooky at the same time !!!

On this website, the testimony is posted to complete a collection of testimonies concerning what was understood to be meteor reported as such by many witnesses. Example:

some testimonies that followed :

Quote:

Answer #1 by titus67 - Guest

on 01/26/2009 @ 08:00 p.m. Anonymous

I too have seen the same thing at the same hour on the side of Kilstett (67). I expected a noise believing in an explosion in flight of an aircraft or an aircraft collision. Pieces seemed to escape from the ball. It was heading to the Black Forest (Freudenstadt).

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

Labroche (68) January 25, 2009 at 11:13 p.m. Source : Forum SPICA

Tonight at 11:l3 p.m., Labaroche in the 68, I was looking to the sky and a big ball of fire crossed the sky at a slow pace leaving behind a trail of orange-red color. A meteorite? I do not think so it was very big and slow (the phenomenon lasted 3 seconds), but beautiful and disturbing, because it was so big that I expected to hear an explosion after its disappearance. But nothing a silence.

Strong hypothesis: meteoritic reentry

[Ref. spa2:] "SPICA" UFOLOGY ASSOCIATION:

City	Date and hour of observation	General shape Identification	General color Hypothesis	Conclusion
LABAROCHE	Sunday 25 January 2009 at 23h13	ball, balloon or melon (3D) Unidentified	red Natural reentry	Strong hypothesis

Discussion:

The case is clear...

Evaluation:

Meteor.

Sources references:

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

[spa1] ? Witness report posted to the web forum of the Alsatian ufology association SPICA, date unknown, was at http://www.spica.org/faq.php
[rnc1] * "Labaroche (68) 25/01/2009", witness report republished by the "Réseau National Civil de Surveillance du Ciel" website, France, January 28, 2009, at http://francesurveillance.xooit.com/t2283-Meteorite-du-25-Janvier-2009-a-22h26-magnitude-10.htm
[spa1] * SPICA News, bulletin of the Alsatian ufology association SPICA, France, #15, page 25, January 2010.
[spa2] * "DEPARTEMENT 68 - HAUT-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_68.htm

File history:

Authoring:

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

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	July 30, 2015	Creation, [spa2].
1.0	Patrick Gross	July 30, 2015	First published.
1.1	Patrick Gross	August 29, 2015	Addition [rnc1]. Discussion changed, was "At least we know it was probably a meteor..." Summary changed except the first paragraph. Explanation changed from "Probable meteor" to "Meteor".
1.2	Patrick Gross	February 11, 2018	Addition [spa1].

This page was last updated on February 11, 2018.