The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 30-May-54-Buffon.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
According to the ufology bulletin of the ADRUP group, Vimana 21, No. 10-11, of the 3rd quarter of 1982, the regional newspaper Le Bien Public for June 2, 1954, reported the following observation:
On the night of May 30, 1954, from Sunday to Monday, between Buffon and St-Rémy, in the direction of Montigny, motorists had their attention attracted by a flamboyant disk about five times the size of a star. It was moving slowly in the sky. At a certain time, these people had a clear impression that this curious phenomenon was falling into space before resuming an accelerated move.
The newspaper said, "Everyone who has seen this disc is of the same opinion as to the information provided."
I found that the rival newspaper, La Bourgogne Républicaine, from the same June 2, 1954 issue, reported this sighting with more details.
Their correspondent in Montbard indicated that on May 30, 1954, at 11:55 p.m., between Buffon and Saint-Rémy, seven people had the great surprise of witnessing the presence of a very bright luminous sphere, much larger than a star, surrounded by a sort of Saturn-like ring.
The sphere was located fairly high in the sky, toward the southeast; it emitted a strong light with colors shifting from blue-green to red.
After fifteen minutes of immobility, it shot off toward the southeast, descending. It disappeared for a few minutes, then reappeared at 12:30 a.m. in the same place, displaying the same changing colors.
Then, moving away again, still in the southeastern area, it finally disappeared at 12:50 a.m.
The newspaper specified that the witnesses were Messrs. G. and G., and Mrs. R. - a total of six people from Montbard, traveling in two cars. It was Mr. G., struck by the sphere's brightness, who stopped his car and alerted his friends. The seventh witness was a passing motorcyclist who joined them to observe the phenomenon.
The newspaper added that upon returning home, Mr. G. continued to observe the sphere until it vanished - suggesting that the others had stopped watching before that.
Ufologist Jacques Vallée entered this as a UFO sighting in his computer catalog, with only the date, the place, a time of 11:55 p.m.; which was copied by others.
[Ref. lbp1:] NEWSPAPER "LE BIEN PUBLIC":
|
Montbard (from our correspondent)
On the night from Sunday to Monday, between Buffon and Saint-Rémy, in the direction of Montigny, motorists from Montbard had their attention drawn to a blazing disc about five times the size of a star, which was moving slowly through the sky. At one point, the witnesses clearly had the impression that this curious phenomenon was falling through space before picking up speed again. Once back home, one of the motorists continued to observe the phenomenon until late into the night.
All the people who saw this disc agree on the details reported.
We present this account to our readers with all due caution.
[Ref. lbr1:] NEWSPAPER "LA BOURGOGNE REPUBLICAINE":
|
Montbard (from our correspondent). - On the night of Sunday, May 30, at 11:55 p.m., between Buffon and Saint-Rémy, seven people were greatly surprised to observe the presence of a very bright luminous sphere, surrounded by a sort of Saturn-like ring.
Much larger than a star, this sphere, located fairly high in the sky toward the southeast, emitted a vivid light that shifted from blue-green to red.
After remaining motionless for a quarter of an hour, it shot off in the indicated direction before descending toward the ground.
Disappearing for a few minutes, at 12:30 a.m. the sphere reappeared in the same spot, displaying the same shifting colors.
Then, moving away again, still in the southeastern area, it disappeared at 12:50 a.m.
These observations were made by Mr. G. and Mr. G., and Mrs. R., a total of six people from Montbard traveling in two cars.
Mr. G., struck by the brightness of the sphere, stopped and alerted his friends. A passing motorcyclist joined them to observe this extraordinary luminous phenomenon.
Upon returning home, Mr. G. continued to observe the sphere until it disappeared.
Did other people in the area also see it?
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 105 | 30 | 05 | 1954 | 23 | 55 | 115+ | BUFFON () ST REMY | F | 1516 | D |
[Ref. via1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "VIMANA 21" - ADRUP:
|
WEDNESDAY JUNE 2: IS IT A FLYING SAUCER? -
Montbard - On the night of Sunday to Monday, between Buffon and St-Rémy, in the direction of Montigny, motorists have had their attention attracted by a fiery disc about five times the size of a star, which was moving slowly in the sky. At a certain moment, these people had a clear impression that this curious phenomenon was falling into space before resuming an accelerated march. Everyone who has seen this disc is of the same opinion as to the information provided. We deliver it to our readers with all reservations.
The source is given as the newspaper Le Bien Public.
[Ref. via2:] "VIMANA 21" UFOLOGY BULLETIN:
|
54 05 30 / BUFFON ST REMY / ... / LN / P /
In the night from Sunday to Monday, in the direction of Montigny, motorists saw a flaming disc of about 5 times the size of a star.
(Source Bien Public, 2.6.54)
[Ref. via3:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "VIMANA 21" - ADRUP:
This magazine listed this case:
54 05 30 NL Buffon-St Rémy
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 30 May 1954 at 23:55 between Buffon and St Remy, Buffon, France, "An unidentified object was sighted, but with appearance and behavior that most likely would have a conventional explanation. One object was observed by six witnesses for over 15 minutes. Explanation: Re-entry."
The sources are indicated as *Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Preliminary Catalog (N = 500), (in JVallee01)."
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19540530 | 30.05.1954 | Buffon | France | 23.55 | NL | |||||
| 19540530 | 30.05.1954 | Buffon | France | 23.55 | NL |
|
The mere fact of the absence of any indication of duration of observation by the newspaper Le Bien Public leaves room for the possibility of a meteor. And a plane or a helicopter are not to be excluded either for this observation which seems without strangeness.
Between Buffon and Saint-Rémy, there are less than 2 kilometers. Montigny-sur-Aube is at 45 km in the Northeast of these villages.
Update on October 11, 2025
With the source [lbr1] now available to me, everything changes!
Indeed, in addition to some information about the witnesses, we now have a duration, a description of movements and sequences, mention that it was not a disc but a sphere, that the sphere was much larger than a star, and that it had "a kind of Saturn-like ring."
It was seen at 11:55 p.m., "fairly high" in the southeast; it remained stationary for 15 minutes, descended and was lost from view, then reappeared in its original position at 12:30 a.m., and was no longer seen at 12:50 a.m.
Given these details - even if considered approximate - a meteor can be ruled out, and an astronomical misidentification seems very doubtful. Still, I checked what was in the southeastern sky at that time.
In the southeast, the brightest objects were the planet Saturn and the star Spica. Of course, it is impossible to see Saturn's rings with the naked eye, and neither Saturn nor Spica appeared "much larger" than a star. Both bodies, like all celestial bodies, "descended" in the sky, but they do not pass below the horizon until around 3 a.m. Naturally, they did not reappear in their original position. I therefore see no obvious astronomical cause for this observation - not even considering the changing colors, which only occur for celestial objects low on the horizon.
The sighting also seems too long for a plane or helicopter, which likewise do not match the changing colors or the ring feature.
I therefore reclassify the case as "unidentified."
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Buffon, Côte-d'Or, Saint-Rémy, night, multiple, disc, slow, fast, flaming, luminous
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | March 23, 2010 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | June 17, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | February 5, 2017 | Addition [ubk1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | April 21, 2019 | Additions [via2], [lhh1], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | May 6, 2025 | Addition [lbp1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | October 11, 2025 | Addition [lbr1]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [lbr1], and removal of "probably invented ". In the Explanations, addition of the "Update on October 11, 2025" part. |
