Within Cote d'Or UFOs
Cote d'Or's Strongest Official Unresolved UFO Case
Arc-sur-Tille stands out because GEIPAN still classifies the short, strange sighting as unidentified after investigation.
On this page
- The crescent shaped object near the wood
- What the GEIPAN D classification means
- Why unresolved is not the same as proved
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Arc-sur-Tille 1979 is the most important unresolved UFO file in Cote-d‘Or because it is the department’s clearest official GEIPAN class D case: a short, strange, two-witness sighting that remained unidentified after investigation rather than merely lacking data. On 8 December 1979, at 9:52 in the morning, two witnesses reported seeing a dull blue-and-white crescent-shaped object, roughly four to five metres high, near ground level beside a small wood. It made no sound, showed no obvious light, oscillated for about a minute and a half, then rose and disappeared rapidly towards the north. GEIPAN records that neither the witnesses nor the gendarmes found any ground traces.[cnes-geipan.fr+2cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
That combination makes Arc-sur-Tille stand apart from many other Cote-d’Or files. It is not the department’s most dramatic story, and it is not proof of an extraordinary craft. Its importance is narrower and more useful: it is the local case where the official record still says “unidentified after investigation”, while many nearby or later cases are classed as identified, probably identified, or too poorly documented to decide.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
Why this file stands out in Cote-d’Or
The Cote-d’Or GEIPAN record contains a mix of outcomes. Some cases are classed A, meaning identified; others are B, meaning probably identified; several are C, meaning not identified because reliable information is missing. Arc-sur-Tille is different because it appears as class D, the category GEIPAN uses for a phenomenon not identified after investigation. GEIPAN’s department listing places it alongside other Cote-d’Or entries such as Poncey-sur-l’Ignon 1954, Vitteaux 1977, Dijon 1978, Argilly 1979, Beaune 2014 and later cases, but Arc-sur-Tille is the one marked D in that sequence.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
An independent mapping site built from public GEIPAN data makes the same point in a simpler way for readers: it lists 31 GEIPAN cases for Cote-d’Or, with 7 class A, 14 class B, 9 class C and 1 class D. That single class D case is Arc-sur-Tille, dated 8 December 1979. CarteOvni is not GEIPAN and should not outrank the official database, but it is useful here because it shows how the public dataset makes Arc-sur-Tille the department’s standout unresolved file.[CarteOvni.fr]carteovni.frOpen source on carteovni.fr.
This matters because the word “unresolved” is often used too loosely in UFO history. Poncey-sur-l’Ignon 1954 is historically vivid, but GEIPAN classifies it C because the reliable information is insufficient. Arc-sur-Tille has a more specific status: not solved after investigation. That is a stronger official position than “we cannot work the case”, but it still falls far short of proving anything exotic.[geipan.fr]geipan.frOpen source on geipan.fr.
The crescent-shaped object near the wood
The core account is unusually compact. GEIPAN’s case summary says that two witnesses saw the object from their home at 9:52 on 8 December 1979. The object was described as a crescent shape, dark blue and white, without shine. It was estimated at four to five metres high, close to the ground, oscillating near a small wood. The reported viewing distance was about 200 metres, and the observation lasted about one minute and thirty seconds.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
The two witness pages add useful texture. GEIPAN identifies the witnesses only through anonymised testimony records associated with Varois-et-Chaignot, near the Arc-sur-Tille case title. One witness was recorded as a 40-year-old woman and the other as a 50-year-old man. Both testimony records give the same local time, the same approximate 200-metre distance from the home, the same four-to-five-metre height estimate, the same upward trajectory, and the same absence of noise.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
What the GEIPAN D classification means
GEIPAN is the French public body attached to CNES that collects, analyses, archives and publishes reports of unidentified aerospace phenomena. CNES describes GEIPAN as having been created within the French space-agency framework, with testimony collection, analysis and public information among its roles. It also works with partners including the gendarmerie, police, the air and space force, CNRS and Meteo-France.[CNES]cnes.frGEIPAN | CNESGEIPAN | CNES
GEIPAN’s classification system is central to understanding Arc-sur-Tille. Since 2008, the organisation has used a more detailed scheme based on two main criteria: the “weirdness” of the report after possible explanations are considered, and the “consistency” of the information available. GEIPAN describes A as a practically identified phenomenon, B as probably identified, C as not workable because of insufficient reliable data, and D as unexplained after investigation.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frClassification | GEIPANClassification | GEIPAN
For Arc-sur-Tille, the official page gives classification D and describes the phenomenon type as “strange to very strange” with “medium to strong” consistency. That wording is worth taking seriously, but not stretching. It means the case had enough structure for GEIPAN to preserve it as a meaningful unresolved file, not merely as a rumour. It does not mean GEIPAN has endorsed the witnesses’ distance, size or object interpretation as physically exact in every respect.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
GEIPAN’s own statistics show how uncommon D cases are in the published database. Its dynamic statistics page, dated 25 June 2026, lists 3,368 published cases, of which 106 are class D, or 3.1 per cent. In the same table, A and B cases together form the majority, while C cases remain a large group because missing or unreliable data often prevents a firm conclusion.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frStatistics | GEIPANStatistics | GEIPAN
That is why Arc-sur-Tille should not be treated as “just another old UFO story”. Within the Cote-d’Or branch, its value is evidential and comparative. It helps readers see the difference between an old case that sounds dramatic, a case that collapses into a likely explanation, and a case that remains officially unidentified after the standard review process.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
The strongest points in the file
Arc-sur-Tille’s strongest feature is not a photograph, radar trace, landing mark or military confirmation. None of those appears in the public GEIPAN summary. The strength is more modest: two witness records align on the main elements of the sighting, and the official case remains class D after publication and later database updates.[cnes-geipan.fr+2cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
The main evidential positives are clear:
- Two witnesses rather than one. Both testimony pages record the same date, time, distance, height estimate, upward trajectory, single-object character and silence. This does not eliminate shared error, but it is stronger than a lone, isolated report.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
- A concrete setting. The case is tied to a home observation, a distance of about 200 metres and a small wood or grove, rather than a vague “somewhere in the sky” description.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
- A short but specific sequence. The witnesses reported an object at ground level, oscillation, then a rapid departure northwards on a rising trajectory.[cnes-geipan.fr+2cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
The main doubts and weak points
The same details that make the case intriguing also reveal its limits. The observation lasted only about 90 seconds. A minute and a half can be enough to notice shape, colour and movement, but it is not much time for a careful estimate of size, distance or exact trajectory, especially when the observer is surprised. GEIPAN’s methodology page stresses that testimony is central to its work but also fragile: perception, emotion, memory, interpretation and later reconstruction can all change how a witness describes an unusual event.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
The distance and size estimates also deserve caution. GEIPAN records an apparent height of four to five metres and a distance of about 200 metres, but for an unfamiliar object those figures are usually difficult to judge with confidence. GEIPAN specifically warns in its methodology that witnesses may describe distance and speed for an unrecognised object even when such estimates are not firmly assessable.[cnes-geipan.fr+2cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
Weather is another gap. Both witness pages list the meteorological conditions as unknown. That matters because wind, low cloud, fog, reflections, airborne material, balloons, agricultural coverings or other mundane objects can become harder to evaluate when the weather record is missing from the published summary. The file’s public version gives no photograph, video, radar correlation or physical sample.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
Finally, the lack of traces cuts both ways. It avoids an overblown landing narrative, but it also means there is no independent physical mark to test. The gendarmes’ failure to find ground traces supports a cautious reading: something was reported, the report was unusual, but the public file does not contain material evidence that would let later readers reconstruct the event with certainty.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
Why unresolved is not the same as proved
Arc-sur-Tille is best read as an unresolved official file, not as a confirmed extraordinary event. GEIPAN itself makes this distinction. Its classification system is designed to sort cases by explanation, data quality and residual strangeness, not to declare alien origin. Its classification page says D cases are unexplained after investigation, while also stating that no proof of extraterrestrial origin has been found in GEIPAN’s decades of work.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frClassification | GEIPANClassification | GEIPAN
GEIPAN’s methodology also makes clear that investigations rely on recognised scientific knowledge and known aerospace or environmental phenomena. The organisation lists possible sources of mistaken strangeness such as meteors, lanterns, lasers, aircraft effects, celestial bodies, perception effects and memory issues. That does not explain Arc-sur-Tille by itself, but it shows the interpretive frame: an unexplained case is a case where the available known hypotheses did not close the file, not a case where every ordinary possibility has been eliminated forever.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frMethodology | GEIPANMethodology | GEIPAN
This is especially important for public-facing UFO history in Cote-d’Or. The department includes cases that GEIPAN identifies as the Moon, satellites, lanterns, atmospheric re-entry, aircraft or other likely causes. Against that background, Arc-sur-Tille’s D status should be neither inflated nor dismissed. It is more robust than a story with no official record, but weaker than a case with independent instrument data or durable physical evidence.[cnes-geipan.fr]cnes-geipan.frOpen source on cnes-geipan.fr.
The most balanced conclusion is therefore simple: Arc-sur-Tille 1979 is Cote-d’Or’s key unresolved official UFO file because it remains class D in the GEIPAN record, has two broadly consistent witness entries, and describes a striking low-level crescent object that no published explanation has settled. Its unresolved status makes it worth preserving and comparing with other local files; it does not turn the sighting into proof of a craft, technology or visitor from elsewhere.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/en/node/48280
2.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/en/node/48278
3.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/en/node/48279
4.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/fr/recherche/cas/tab?field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_departement_target_id=&field_document_existe_ou_pas_value=All&field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_latitude_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_longitude_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_longitude_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_phenomene_target_id=&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_departement_textuel&page=31&sort=asc
5.
Source: carteovni.fr
Link:https://carteovni.fr/departement/c-ote-d-or
6.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Title: Classification | GEIPAN
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/en/node/58787
7.
Source: geipan.fr
Link:https://www.geipan.fr/fr/recherche/cas/tab?field_agregation_index_value=&field_classification_des_cas_target_id%5B0%5D=13&field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_date_value=&field_departement_target_id=&field_document_existe_ou_pas_value=All&field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_latitude_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_latitude_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_longitude_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_longitude_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_phenomene_target_id=&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_date_d_observation_textuel&page=43&sort=desc
8.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/fr/cas/1979-12-00696
9.
Source: cnes.fr
Title: GEIPAN | CNES
Link:https://cnes.fr/en/projects/geipan
10.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Title: Statistics | GEIPAN
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/en/stats
11.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Title: Methodology | GEIPAN
Link:https://cnes-geipan.fr/en/node/58788
12.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/fr/recherche/cas/tab?customGetLattitude=46.124763699209396&customGetLongitude=2.406005859375001&customGetZoom=6&field_agregation_index_value=&field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_date_value=&field_departement_target_id=&field_document_existe_ou_pas_value=All&field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_latitude_value%5Bmax%5D=50.52739681329302&field_latitude_value%5Bmin%5D=41.72213058512578&field_longitude_value%5Bmax%5D=8.745117187500002&field_longitude_value%5Bmin%5D=-3.9331054687500004&field_phenomene_target_id=&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_date_d_observation&page=137&sort=desc&undefined=
13.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/fr/recherche/cas?field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_departement_textuel&page=%2C489&sort=asc
14.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/sites/default/files/save_json_import_files/export_cas_pub_20251127093552.csv
15.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/en/recherche/cas/tab?field_document_existe_ou_pas_value=All&field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_date_d_observation&page=146&sort=desc
16.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Title: journees etudes
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/sites/default/files/journees_etudes.pdf
17.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/en/missions-methodes-et-resultats
18.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/fr/recherche/cas/tab?field_agregation_index_value=&order=field_departement_textuel&page=135&sort=desc
19.
Source: cnes-geipan.fr
Link:https://www.cnes-geipan.fr/fr/recherche/cas/tab?field_agregation_index_value=avion&field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_departement_textuel&page=5&sort=asc
20.
Source: arc-sur-tille.fr
Link:https://www.arc-sur-tille.fr/
21.
Source: geipan.fr
Link:https://www.geipan.fr/en/recherche/cas/tab?field_agregation_index_value=&field_classification_des_cas_target_id%5B11%5D=11&field_classification_des_cas_target_id%5B12%5D=12&field_classification_des_cas_target_id%5B13%5D=13&field_classification_des_cas_target_id%5B14%5D=14&field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_date_d_observation_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_date_value=&field_departement_target_id=&field_document_existe_ou_pas_value=1&field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_latitude_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_latitude_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_longitude_value%5Bmax%5D=&field_longitude_value%5Bmin%5D=&field_phenomene_target_id=&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_departement_textuel&page=29&select-category-export=nothing&sort=asc&video=on
22.
Source: geipan.fr
Link:https://geipan.fr/en/recherche/cas/tab?field_date_value=2004-04-23&field_is_new_value=All&field_is_revisited_value=All&field_type_de_cas_target_id=All&order=field_departement_textuel&page=136&sort=desc
23.
Source: cnes.fr
Link:https://cnes.fr/projets/geipan
24.
Source: carteovni.fr
Title: arc sur tille 1979 1200696
Link:https://carteovni.fr/cas/arc-sur-tille-1979-1200696
25.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn2xTieploU
26.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Geipan: France is also interested in UFOs
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLXDikL331Y
27.
Source: Wikipedia
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEIPAN
28.
Source: timeanddate.com
Link:https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/france/dijon?month=4
29.
Source: timeanddate.com
Link:https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/france/dijon?month=12
30.
Source: timeanddate.com
Link:https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/france/dijon?month=8
31.
Source: france-voyage.com
Link:https://www.france-voyage.com/villes-villages/arc-sur-tille-4251.htm
32.
Source: viamichelin.fr
Link:https://www.viamichelin.fr/itineraires/resultats/varois_et_chaignot-21490-cote_d_or-bourgogne_franche_comte-france-to-arc_sur_tille-21560-cote_d_or-bourgogne_franche_comte-france
33.
Source: viamichelin.fr
Link:https://www.viamichelin.fr/itineraires/resultats/arc_sur_tille-21560-cote_d_or-bourgogne_franche_comte-france-to-varois_et_chaignot-21490-cote_d_or-bourgogne_franche_comte-france
Additional References
34.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Ancient Aliens: 300+”Flying Saucer” Incidents in France (Season 19) | History
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcMrAX4zRwo
35.
Source: youtube.com
Title: UFO Emits Weird White Material Onto Small French Town | Close Encounters
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfrg0rhIaGg
36.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Meeting France’s UFO detectives • FRANCE 24 English
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zczcBLukQ6s
37.
Source: academia.edu
Link:https://www.academia.edu/31208293/FIELD_ASTRONOMY_FOR_SURVEYORS
38.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2009/01/p47.pdf?ref=thegalacticmind.com
39.
Source: encyclopedia.com
Link:https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cergy-pontoise-hoax
40.
Source: rome2rio.com
Link:https://www.rome2rio.com/fr/s/Dijon/Arc-sur-Tille
41.
Source: rome2rio.com
Link:https://www.rome2rio.com/fr/s/Dijon/Varois-et-Chaignot
42.
Source: kelbillet.com
Link:https://www.kelbillet.com/itineraire/arc-sur-tille-dijon-v31934-29955.html
43.
Source: scribd.com
Link:https://www.scribd.com/doc/162839269/TylNoel-Solar-Arcs
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