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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 Blaesheim, on June 17, 2019:

Case number:

ALSACAT-2019-06-17-BLAESHEIM-1

Summary:

On June 19, 2019, the regional press, i.e. the newspapers L'Alsace and Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace announced that a crop circle was found in a field in Blaesheim.

It was reportedly "spotted by Internet users on Monday", and on Wednesday June 17, 2019, it had been photographed by a private pilot, William Musculus, who was flying over the area.

The press explained: "Some people attribute an extraterrestrial origin to these strange geometric figures."

Photo.

The very next day, the explanation was given, in these newspapers, and on the regional television channel.

The crop circle discovered in Blaesheim which "had revived the fantasies", was the result of an exercise in school geometry, organized by Françoise Evrard, professor of mathematics at the college Le Gymnase Jean-Sturm.

She had wanted to teach her students to use their geometry tools (square, compass, etc.) with greater difficulties than on a desk. Seeing a report on crop circles on the Internet the previous summer, she had the idea to have one of her sixth graders class to create one.

Her educational objective was geometry, but also to show students that one should not believe everything, "that fake news about Martians is rubbish", that there is nothing extraterrestrial in the crop circles.

She had to find a field with permission to flatten the crop, do a lot of groundwork. After several weeks of research, the mayor of the municipality of Blaesheim, Jacques Baur, and his brother Jean-Philippe, managers of GAEC Gloeckelsberg, agreed to lend one of their field against compensation to be paid by the establishment Le Gymnase Jean -Sturm. The mayor explains that he thought it was a good educational exercise, and had informed his municipal council in advance.

It was on Monday June 17, 2019, around 8:30 a.m., that two buses brought two sixth grade classes from Jean Sturm college, as well as a few first year students enrolled in the international SAT. They did the crop circle in 3:30, using boards, and left.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date: June 17, 2019
Time: ?
Duration: N/A
First known report date: June 19, 2021
Reporting delay: 1 day.

Geographical data:

Department: Bas-Rhin
City: Blaesheim
Place: In a field.
Latitude: 48.5119
Longitude: 7.6138
Uncertainty radius: 15 m.

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses: Many.
Number of known witnesses: 1
Number of named witnesses: 2
Witness(es) ages: Adults, teens.
Witness(es) types: Professor, pilot, students.

Ufology data:

Reporting channel: The regional Press.
Type of location: Field.
Visibility conditions: Day.
UFO observed: No
UFO arrival observed: N/A
UFO departure observed: N/A
Entities: No
Photographs: Yes.
Sketch(s) by witness(es): No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): No.
Witness(es) feelings: ?
Witnesses interpretation: ?

Classifications:

Hynek: CC
ALSACAT: Crop circle making demonstration.

Sources:

[Ref. lae1:] WEBSITE OF THE NEWSPAPER "L'ALSACE":

WEIRD

A new crop circle in a field of Blaesheim

By L'Alsace - June 19, 2019 at 08:51 p.m. | updated Sept. 20, 2019 at 03:37 p.m. - Reading time: 1 min

[Photo caption:] The crop circle of Blaesheim seen from airplane this Wednesday. Photo credit: William Musculus - All rights reserved

After Saint-Hippolyte, it is in Blaesheim, near Strasbourg, that a crop circle appeared in the middle of a field. Spotted by Internet users on Monday, it was photographed by an airplane pilot who was flying over the area on Wednesday, William Musculus. Coated wheat "draws" circles and regular lines in the field, clearly visible in aerial photography.

This would be the second crop circle recently spotted in Alsace, after that of Saint-Hippolyte. Many curious people follow one another in this field near Colmar to admire this phenomenon, which is at present mysterious. Some people attribute an extraterrestrial origin to these strange geometric figures.

Source [https://www.lalsace.fr/actualite/2019/06/19/un-nouveau-crop-circle-dans-un-champ-de-blaesheim?fbclid=IwAR0F4Fr9obn-MBWC6J-Bi7NVsKzpi21yZbZQE2utLRZsKd1jXF0FuQkH230]

Note: the same article also appeared at the same time on the Website of the regional newspaper Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, of the same Press group.

[Ref. dna1:] WEBSITE OF THE NEWSPAPER "DERNIERES NOUVELLES D'ALSACE":

WEIRD

"Crop circle" by Blaesheim: it was a life-size geometry exercise...

By Ju.M. - June 20, 2019 at 5:30 pm | updated on 04 Oct 2019 at 11:23 - Reading time: 1 min

Neither hoax nor supernatural phenomenon: the magnificent "crop circle", as if inspired by a French garden, appeared in a wheat field in Blaesheim, is the work of college students from the Jean-Sturm gymnasium in Strasbourg, on an idea from their math teacher.

Wishing to have them carry out a life-size geometry exercise, the teacher contacted the managers of GAEC Gloeckelsberg - who are none other than Jacques Baur, mayor of the town, and his brother Jean-Philippe - who gladly made one of their fields available to the project.

Monday, June 17, two coaches full of college students disembarked in Blaesheim. Using ropes and stakes, they produced these geometric figures, which caught the eye of an amateur aviator who flew over the area on Wednesday (read our article here). The discovery came shortly after the appearance of a first cultivation circle in Saint Hippolyte at the beginning of June (read here).

In Blaesheim, light is shed on these figures, which will be visible until the harvest, around July 14.

[Ref. huf1:] "HUFFINGTON POST":

Copie d'écran.

WEIRD

06/20/2019 12:49 CEST

There is nothing supernatural in these crop circles in Alsace

No, the aliens are not about to invade Alsace.

By Léo Tourbe

GEOMETRY - Are aliens about to invade Alsace? A "crop-circle" ("circle in the cereals" in French), geometric shapes that appear in the fields and arouse many fantasies, had already intrigued the inhabitants of the region at the beginning of June. Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace reports that a new work was discovered this Wednesday, June 19 in a wheat field in Blaesheim.

Whereas the one of early June has still not been claimed, the authors of that of Blaesheim were quickly identified. They are actually Strasbourg college students from the Jean Sturm Gymnasium, about twenty kilometers away. It was under the tutelage of their mathematics teacher, who wanted a life-size geometry exercise, that they produced these "crop circles".

Visible until harvest

This Monday 17th, the students all arrived by bus, equipped with stakes and ropes, and got to work. Obviously, the mayor of the city, Jacques Baur, was aware of this operation and was kind enough to let his field be used. The figure was even immortalized by a passing amateur aviator (see the tweet above).

The wheat laid down in this way will keep this shape until the harvest, which should start in mid-July.

[Photo caption:] Here is the plan designed to make this "crop circle":

[Ref. fr311:] WEBSITE OF THE "FRANCE 3 GRAND-EST" TV CHANNEL:

Copie d'écran.

Blaesheim crop circle: the aliens were sixth grade students

After the appearance of a "crop circle" (or culture circle) in Saint-Hippolyte (Haut-Rhin) a few days ago, the one discovered in Blaesheim (Bas-Rhin) on Wednesday June 19, 2019 had revived the fantasies. It is in fact a big exercise in school geometry.

Published on 06/20/2019 at 2:46 p.m. - Updated on 06/11/2020 at 9:48 p.m.

"Making the buzz, that was not the goal", immediately starts Françoise Evrard, professor of mathematics at the college Le Gymnase Jean-Sturm. Because it was she who had the idea of this crop circle in Blaesheim. No Martians in this business, just a professor like you can dream of having one, who takes you out of college to achieve unforgettable experiences.

"There is nothing alien in this"

"Teaching my students to use their geometry tools (set square, compass etc), by drawing triangles or circles on a desk is good, but I wanted to increase the difficulty a bit with a more important and more complex geometry exercise," she explains. And it was when she saw a report on crop circles on the internet last summer that she had the idea to have her sixth graders do one. "I've been thinking about it since September. We had to find the field, do a lot of preparatory work, it didn't happen in a few days."

For the teacher, the activity also had the advantage of meeting several educational objectives. "The first on learning geometry. The second to show the students that you shouldn't believe everything. To explain to them that fake news about Martians is is all over the place. That there is nothing extraterrestrial in this. Finally, to show that reality can remain the same but that it is the points of view that change. One does not see the same thing on the ground or in the air when the reality is the same", explains Françoise Evrard.

After several weeks of research, the mayor of the municipality of Blaesheim, Jacques Baur, and his brother Jean-Philippe, managers of GAEC Gloeckelsberg, agreed to lend one of their field against compensation which will be carried out by Le Gymnase Jean-Sturm. "For me, it was a good initiative. An educational exercise", explains the mayor who warned his municipal council before.

"I still thought it was going to make people talk"

The discovery of a first crop circle in Saint-Hyppolite, on June 14, 2019, and the agitation that followed did not discourage the protagonists more than that. "At that time, I still told myself that it was going to make people talk," said the mayor. "Insofar as everything had been done in transparency, in agreement with the farmers, by warning the municipal council and in broad daylight, I really did not think that we would speak about it", assures Françoise Evrard. "Yet, it is true that I hadn't warned the media."

Monday June 17, around 8:30 am, two buses disembark two sixth grade classes from Jean Sturm college as well as a few first year students enrolled in the international SAT. In 3:30, using boards, they lay down the wheat to make the drawings and leave.

[Photo caption:] The students of Jean Sturm college at work. - © Photo Dominique Verreman

Equipped with planks, the students lay down the wheat to achieve the desired geometric shapes.

[Photo caption:] Equipped with planks, the students lay down the wheat to achieve the desired geometric shapes. - © Photo Dominique Verreman

Two days later, when the media released the photo of the crop circle, the math teacher saw the number of calls on her phone multiply. "The parents of the students told me 'look, they are talking about us.' So I communicated to warn the media of the nature of these figures", she explains.

So is the Blaesheim crop circle mystery solved. As for that of Saint-Hippolyte, it remains whole. Some leads on our show "Why look any further?" devoted to graphic culture, and in particular to the crop circles (from 7'40)

[Ref. oda1:] SITE WEB "PLANETE ODLA":

Scan.

Discovered on June 17, 2019 - Blaesheim - Near Strasbourg - Alsace (France)

After Saint-Hippolyte, it is in Blaesheim, near Strasbourg, that a crop circle appeared in the middle of a field. Spotted by Internet users on Monday, it was photographed by an airplane pilot who was flying over the area on Wednesday, William Musculus. Coated wheat "draws" circles and regular lines in the field, clearly visible in aerial photography.

This would be the second crop circle recently spotted in Alsace, after that of Saint-Hippolyte. Many curious people follow one another in this field near Colmar to admire this phenomenon, which is at present mysterious. Some people attribute an extraterrestrial origin to these strange geometric figures.

Source [https://www.lalsace.fr/actualite/2019/06/19/un-nouveau-crop-circle-dans-un-champ-de-blaesheim?fbclid=IwAR0F4Fr9obn-MBWC6J-Bi7NVsKzpi21yZbZQE2utLRZsKd1jXF0FuQkH230]

Discussion:

Map.

I cited above only the most relevant sources; it goes without saying that this "crop circle" and its explanation have been presented in many other sources, for example:

And of course, these mainstream media sources are featured on many websites and social networks.

Websites on the "paranormal" or other mysteries, even UFO Websites, usually repeat this sort of "discovery"; sometimes, by silencing the very human explanation even when it is claimed as here. [oda1] is an example of this practice, but I suspect there weren't that many others doing it in this case.

The "crop circles"

It has been a long time since I showed why these figures have no relation to UFOs or extraterrestrials, except that originally, in 1978, they were the invention of two British men, a farce intended to make believe that the rounds in the fields which they created were traces of landing of "flying saucers"; thereafter, the "phenomenon" became an art form, with teams competing in the complexity of the design, and also, as is the case here, the result of demonstrations of how easy it is to make crop circles.

Readers wishing to verify my assertions and know more should refer to the section of my Website dealing with this "mystery".

Evaluation:

Crop circle making demonstration.

Sources references:

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

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 July 4, 2021 Creation, [lae1], [dna1], [huf1], [fr31], [oda1].
1.0 Patrick Gross July 4, 2021 First published.

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This page was last updated on July 4, 2021.