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Sighting in Valenciennes, January 26, 1979

Nord, Hauts-de-France, France

Sighting on January 26, 1979 in Valenciennes (Nord, France). GEIPAN could not reach a conclusion for lack of sufficient information (class C).

What happened

Shortly before one in the morning, a motorist saw a luminous sphere about 150 m ahead, almost at ground level. As the witness drew closer, they could make out that the object, 4 to 5 m in diameter, appeared to be made up of several panels. Antennas one to two metres long were visible, along with small blue and white flames. The witness heard no noise. The sphere then moved away towards the horizon, where it disappeared.

The investigation gathered no further information about the phenomenon. Because the data were insufficient, the GEIPAN classified the case as category C.

Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.

Date
January 26, 1979
Location
Valenciennes · town centre
Type of sighting
From the ground
Source classification
C

Sources

Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.