Hovering in Somme, France

On Tuesday, October 19, 1954, between 1:30 and 1:40 a.m., several military personnel (including a private second class, a master corporal, and a sergeant) at a radar station in Doullens (the radar was not working that night) observed, on a dark night, an unusual aerial phenomenon located under a continuous layer of stratocumulus clouds (base estimated at 1000 m). The observation has 3 phases: Phase 1: the luminous green phenomenon appeared at 1:34 a.m. above a farm to the NE (direction Mondicourt), coming out of the clouds at a 45° angle from the vertical, then moved horizontally to the East at a height of 45° over 90° (text) or 120° (diagram) in half a second, without noise, changing color (green to orange then dull red). This phase was apparently seen only by the sentry in his shelter located on the esplanade in front of the radar station. Phase 2: the phenomenon stopped abruptly above La Bellevue (East direction) at an angular height of 60° (estimated height 800 m). This hovering lasted 2 (sergeant) to 3 (private second class) minutes, which allowed the sentry to alert his superiors. The object stood out clearly against the cloud layer with an angular size of about 1°. For the sergeant it had the shape of a disk whose underside was visible, but it formed an ellipse tilted 25–30° from the horizontal. It emitted a light that changed color about every 5 seconds: from "pale green" to orange then yellow (sergeant), while keeping a greenish background (private second class). It oscillated (sergeant) or moved horizontally and vertically (private second class). Phase 3: the phenomenon moved in the opposite direction from its arrival at high speed and disappeared into the clouds for 30 seconds, reappeared for a few seconds (sergeant) or 2 minutes (private second class), then disappeared. The moon, in this cloudy sky, was to the East (azimuth 84°) and could be a source of confusion: it was in the direction of observation given by the witnesses (NE). Moreover, that night it was very close to Jupiter (about 2.5° apart), which was particularly bright (magnitude -1.78). In addition, the witnesses do not mention the Moon in their field of view. However, the color changes and movements perceived are difficult to explain under this hypothesis. The flight of an airplane does not seem compatible with the several-minute stop at constant angular size. A helicopter can also be considered; the color variations could be due to the alternating visibility of the left and right position lights (red and green). On the other hand, the very high speeds observed fit this hypothesis poorly. If the altitude of 800 m (deduced from the estimated cloud ceiling of 1000 m) is correct, the distance of the phenomenon during phase 2 is on the order of a kilometer, and its size is 15–20 m (1°). This case, of average consistency, quite strange although distant, is classified D1: unidentified strange phenomenon.