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 December 31, 2017:

Case number:

ALSACAT-2017-12-31-STRASBOURG-1

Summary:

In 2020, a video lecture about "triangular UFOs" by a French ufologist appeared on Youtube, a video hosting website allowing comments.

Among said comments was that of "@guncreep9905", who wrote about having seen "red orbs floating around Strasbourg on the night of December 31, 2017!!! It was uncanny! Thankfully I wasn't only to have seen them??"

In response, someone wisely offered an explanation: Chinese lanterns.

But the witness strongly disputed this, arguing that he had already seen "Chinese lanterns (more than once)!", that the orbs he saw were "small with no apparent body (no drones ), didn't make noise and moved 'intelligently'!"

He added: "They rose in the sky (behind a building 200m from us) and made a perfect right angle to continue horizontally, heading towards us! They passed within 100 meters of us! ...long story to tell (write)...I've never seen anything like it in 51 years!"

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	December 31, 2017
Time:	Night.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	2020
Reporting delay:	3 years.

Geographical data:

Department:	Bas-Rhin
City:	Strasbourg
Place:	?
Latitude:	48.583
Longitude:	7.747
Uncertainty radius:	6 km.

Witnesses data:

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

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	Comment on Youtube.
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:	Puzzled.
Witnesses interpretation:	Not Chinese lanterns.

Classifications:

Hynek:	NL
ALSACAT:	Insufficient information.

Sources:

[Ref. you1:] "YOUTUBE":

@guncreep9905
two years ago

I saw red orbs floating around Strasbourg on the night of December 31, 2017!!! It was uncanny! Luckily I wasn't the only one seeing them??

2 answers

@soussoudelavega1372
two years ago

Chinese lanterns...

@guncreep9905
two years ago

@soussoudelavega1372 no ! I've seen Chinese lanterns before (more than once)! The orbs I saw were small with no apparent body (no drones ), made no noise and moved "intelligently"! They went up into the sky (behind a building 200m from us) and made a perfect right angle to continue horizontally, heading towards us! They passed less than 100 meters from us! ...long story to tell... I've never seen anything like it in 51 years!

Discussion:

The case is exemplary of the effect of the various "social networks" on the collection of testimonies, as opposed to their collection by competent ufologists.

Red orbs have been seen "floating around Strasbourg". What does it mean? Did they go around town? Once, twice, three times? Or was it just a sighting in a place "around" Strasbourg?
We are told "on the night of December 31, 2017"; but at what time? Midnight?
We are told "Fortunately I was not the only one to have seen them??". But what do the two question marks mean? Is there any doubt about it?
We are told "having seen them??". But having seen what? The same phenomenon seen by others elsewhere at another time, or is it this precise sighting that has had other witnesses? With this witness, or independently?
When Chinese lanterns are offered as an explanation and the witness refutes them because he had already seen them, are we really talking about the famous mini-hot air balloons? I had the case of an Alsatian witness to whom a journalist proposed the explanation of the Chinese lanterns; the witness refuted them, but speaking with him later, I discovered that in his mind, the lanterns really were lanterns to light the doors in Asian countries...
The witness says it is "a long story to tell (write)". I can only regret that he did not; this is another effect of "social networks", which only motivate brief stories of the type "I also saw it..."

Talking about "orbs" signals a certain familiarity with the UFO theme. This term is not commonly used in Frace, it is not used by witnesses without a ufological "culture".

The date is a December 31. It is obviously a date quite conducive to the release of Chinese lanterns, at least in Alsace.

The witness interprets the movements of the "orbs" as "intelligent". They rose in the sky behind a building 200 meters away, turned at a "perfect right angle", continued horizontally, heading towards the witnesses, they passed within 100 meters of them.

It is certainly interesting and an investigation could have shown or disproved the interpretation. Too bad.

A building may very well generate rising and / or rotating air currents which could have caused a displacement of this kind.

Due to the lack of information, I do not feel comfortable disproving or giving Chinese lanterns as an explanation.

Evaluation:

Insufficient information.

Sources references:

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

[you1] * Posted as commentof a video lecture "Ufos: The Triangles of the Night" by Daniel Robin, on >outube, France, 2020, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19cZP6tz1JQ

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	January 27, 2023	Creation, [you1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	January 27, 2023	First published.

This page was last updated on January 27, 2023.