The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Provençal, issue of Avignon, France, January 14, 1977.
A technician from the National Center for Scientific Research (C.N.R.S.) versed in fundamental research and the study of aerodynamics, Mr. Jacky Bas, seconded to the Faculty of Avignon, was one of the five witnesses, Wednesday evening, in Eyrargues, to attend, for 45 minutes, the move of two unidentified flying craft (UFO) which had the appearance of two stars.
Here is what Mr. Bas told us yesterday after he informed the gendarmerie:
"While I was driving back to my home in Eyrargues by the road to Saint-Andiol, I saw what looked like a star, as big as the Shepherd's star and almost as luminous, but, by its location, it could not be the evening star. Gradually, I saw it take on the size of a normal star. When I got home, I was able to observe the phenomenon in the company of my wife Geneviève, my daughter Nathalie, 12."
"The star resumed its original size, only to decrease again. According to the visual cues taken in the background, I noticed that it moved from north to south. In its move, its color went from a white verging on yellow to red reminiscent of infrared tubes."
"The star then disappeared behind a Romanin house."
Using a navy telescope, Mr. Bas, still accompanied by his daughter, took up position on the roof of his house. It was at this moment that he saw a second star identical to the first. It moved in leaps, at a speed twice that of an airplane and could be, according to Mr. Bas, at an altitude of about 3,000 meters. It is then that two other witnesses enter the scene, the son of Mr. Bas, Gilles, 14 years old, and a neighbor Miss Guerro.
Disappearing for a short time, the two "stars" reappear above a row of cypress trees 400 meters from Mr. Bas.
At one time, one of the stars began a rather sharp turn, to return to its initial trajectory (North-South), the maneuver occurred when an airplane passed much higher in the sky. Thus, the watcher was able to verify that the stars really had nothing comparable to the light signals of an airplane. Around 6:55 p.m. the two "stars" disappeared. According to Mr. Bas, their attitude may suggest that they could have inspected this area.
This phenomenon was therefore observed by five people, including a scientific researcher. So something really mysterious happened in the sky of Noves, seen from Eyrargues. The UFO file is not ready to be closed.
