ALSACAT-1980-01-15-WETTOLSHEIM-1
The Belgian ufologist Godelieve van Overmeire - who turned a "skeptic" later - published in her ufology catalog a story she picked from the sensationalist magazine Nostra for January 1982.
The observation is dated January 15, 1980, and the place given as Wettolsheim in Alsace:
"I was lying on my bed. It was about 11:45 p.m.. I looked at the stars in the sky when I saw an object having the shape of a pear. The thing of dazzling whiteness, was surrounded by a clearly defined blue border. The craft was going so fast that it could not be a plane. After a few seconds it disappeared over Turckheim."
Date: | January 15, 1980 |
---|---|
Time: | ~11:45 p.m. |
Duration: | A few seconds. |
First known report date: | January 21, 1982 |
Reporting delay: | 1 year. |
Department: | Haut-Rhin |
---|---|
City: | Wettolsheim |
Place: | Stargazing from the bed, UFO in the sky. |
Latitude: | 48.056 |
Longitude: | 7.298 |
Uncertainty ratio: | 500 m |
Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 |
---|---|
Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
Witness(es) ages: | ? |
Witness(es) types: | Male. |
Reporting channel: | Sensation magazine Nostra. |
---|---|
Type of location: | Stargazing from the bed, UFO in the sky. |
Visibility conditions: | Night |
UFO observed: | Yes |
UFO arrival observed: | Yes |
UFO departure observed: | Yes |
Entities: | No |
Photographs: | No. |
Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
Witness(es) feelings: | ? |
Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
Hynek: | NL |
---|---|
ALSACAT: | Probable meteor. |
[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
1980, January 15 FRANCE, Wettolsheim (Alsace) "I was lying on my bed. It was about 11:45 p.m.. I looked at the stars in the sky when I saw an object having the shape of a pear. The thing of dazzling whiteness, was surrounded by a clearly defined blue border. The craft was going so fast that it could not be a plane. After a few seconds it disappeared over Turckheim (Jean-Marie DOUCHET - Nostra - 1/21/1982) |
"NOSTRA", or "Nostradamus", was a totally unbridled sensationalist magazine publishing "news" of the most insane kind on weird topics. Example in issue #12 for June 1972:
![]() |
(The article claims that G.T. Edwards, head professor at M.I.T. has the prrof that beings exactly like us live on planet Saturn, except that they have no sex as they reproduce by parthenogenesis). |
Or:
![]() |
(The article claims that the ancient Egyptians came from outer space.) |
Suffice to say that fishing "cases" in this magazine does not seem to be much evidence of seriousness...
That said, what this person describes has nothing wacky, only his interpretation is probably wrong: it is a description perfectly compatible with the passage of a meteor:
Probable meteor.
* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
Main author: | Patrick Gross |
---|---|
Contributors: | None |
Reviewers: | None |
Editeur: | Patrick Gross |
Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
---|---|---|---|
0.1 | Patrick Gross | May 7, 2015 | Creation, [go1]. |
1.0 | Patrick Gross | May 7, 2015 | First published. |