Sighting in Givet, May 20, 1955
Ardennes, Grand Est, France
Sighting on May 20, 1955 in Givet (Ardennes, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a meteor or fireball (class B).
What happened
At 2:30 in the morning, two gendarmes saw a luminous phenomenon cross the sky, and it puzzled them. It travelled from the southeast toward the northwest and vanished within a few seconds. It was shaped like a shell, and it left a luminous, multicoloured trail behind it. A gendarmerie report was drawn up after the sighting.
The GEIPAN classified the case as B, meaning probably identified. In its assessment, the gendarmes most likely saw a bolide, that is, a meteoroid entering the atmosphere.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- May 20, 1955
- Location
- Givet · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Meteors and fireballs
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 1955-05-00034
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.