Today in History—January 8: The Mysterious Sighting at Trans-en-Provence

Written by

Tara Ramanathan

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

In the long span of UFO sightings, which range from obvious hoaxes to truly unexplained phenomena, the Trans-en-Provence incident endures as one of the most lasting enigmas.

On January 8, 1981, Renato Nicolai observed a flying object by his property in southeastern France. He described it as a “bulging disk” consisting of “two plates glued to each other by the rim.” The unidentified object, measuring some 5 feet in height, let out a “faint whistling” as it briefly landed in a field, before rising and vanishing over some trees as suddenly as it had appeared. The event, which took place in the outskirts of the French locale of Trans-en-Provence, was described by Popular Mechanics magazine as one of the “most completely and carefully documented” sightings in history.

The next day Nicolai investigated the site and found two concentric circles. He contacted the military police, who ruled out their aircraft and forwarded the case to the French space agency tasked with investigating extraterrestrial phenomena. During searches of the area, authorities discovered a black residue that could not be fully identified and collected photos showing tracks made in the dirt. Analyses indicated that surrounding plant life had been affected, with some vegetation showing reduced chlorophyll levels.

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Fun Fact

The chlorophyll of alfalfa leaves near the site showed levels reduced 30–50%.

Physical evidence for UFO sightings is typically hard to come by. Because of that, this case has remained central to UFO lore. The agency examined the site for the next two years but found no scientific explanation for what had happened.

In the 45 years since the sighting at Trans-en-Provence, UFOs have gone from fringe fascinations to the subject of U.S. Congressional hearings. Throughout it all, this event in the French countryside decades ago remains a mystery.

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By the Numbers

572–1,112 ℉: Estimated soil heat after the craft encounter
30–40 seconds: Total time over which the incident occurred
7.2 and 7.9 feet: Diameter of circles discovered in the field

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