ALSACAT-2013-12-16-STRASBOURG-1
I found on a "UFO" website a statement from someone who anonymously reported a sighting of approximately 10 seconds made with a friend on December 16, 2013 at 07:20 p.m. in Strasbourg, in the city center then as they were walking towards the railway station.
He or she reported:
"It was night. We talked and my friend alerted me by showing me the sky."
"An oval object (airship shape?) moved above us and was at a really low altitude, near the buildings. On its side dull lights circular and what appeared to be the front a flashing light. I can not be specific about the color but it was probably white or gray/silver."
"As of the movement, perfectly straight, as if it slipped, not a sound, not fast but fast enough to be quickly lost from sight."
"I cannot say it was not a plane or helicopter but everything happened in perfect silence and very close to the ground (like 20 meters). And the nearest airport is about 30km from the city."
"I remain skeptical but this event still puzzles me a lot."
| Date: | December 16, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 07:20 p.m. |
| Duration: | ~10 seconds. |
| First known report date: | March 1, 2014 or earlier. |
| Reporting delay: | Days, months? |
| Department: | Bas-Rhin |
|---|---|
| City: | Strasbourg |
| Place: | Downtown city when walking to the railway station, UFO in the sky above head. |
| Latitude: | 48.584 |
| Longitude: | 7.734 |
| Uncertainty radius: | 3 km |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 2 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 0 |
| Witness(es) ages: | ? |
| Witness(es) types: | ? |
| Reporting channel: | Web report to UFO website "OVNI-France.fr". |
|---|---|
| Type of location: | From street in center of big city. |
| Visibility conditions: | Night |
| UFO observed: | Yes |
| UFO arrival observed: | No |
| UFO departure observed: | No |
| Entities: | No |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | Puzzled. |
| Witnesses interpretation: | ? |
| Hynek: | NL or CE1 |
|---|---|
| ALSACAT: | Unidentified. |
[Ref. ofe1:] "OVNI-FRANCE.FR" WEBSITE:
Date: 12/16/2013
Department: 67 (Bas-Rhin)
Localization: Strasbourg
Time: 07:20 p.m.
Numbers [sic] of witnesses: 2 people
Type of observation: NL: Nocturnal Lights
Approxima [sic] duration of the observation: 10 seconds
What was seen: Appearance of an object right in the center of the city
Description of the facts:
I was walking with a friend in the center of Strasbourg in the direction of the railway station. It was night. We talked and my friend alerted me by showing me the sky.
An oval object (airship shape?) moved above us and was at a really low altitude, near the buildings. On its side dull lights circular and what appeared to be the front a flashing light. I can not be specific about the color but it was probably white or gray/silver.
As of the movement, perfectly straight, as if it slipped, not a sound, not fast but fast enough to be quickly lost from sight.
I cannot say it was not a plane or helicopter but everything happened in perfect silence and very close to the ground (like 20 meters). And the nearest airport is about 30km from the city.
I remain skeptical but this event still puzzles me a lot.
Bremstra
|
I searched the web to look for some advertising operation using a blimp, a party which could include a balloon release, events where the police or journalists could use a drone, I found nothing. This may not be sufficient to exclude such things, obviously.
Here, a crucial parameter is the distance given as about 20 meters. It is in the depth of the human field of "stereo" vision to properly perceive the distance of an object, even if it was unknown - although an error cannot be formally excluded, it makes it more unlikely. On the other hand, 20 meters is extremely low, especially in this neighborhood od the station in Strasbourg where buildings usually are several storeys high.
If this distance were correct or at least somewhat correct, it is clear that a helicopter or a plane are excluded. The noise would necessarily have been perceived whereas the witness says: "no sound". Yet he does not seem entirely sure it was not a plane or helicopter..
For this observation, I do not know what to conclude. Nothing yet, I let it be an unidentified for now....
The case would have deserved a field investigation, which could make things clearer, maybe. But the witness is anonymous...
Unidentified.
* = 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 | March 17, 2014 | Creation, [ofe1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | March 17, 2014 | First published. |
