April 4, 1990🇧🇪Sighting
Petit-Rechain, Belgium: Iconic Triangle UFO Photograph
The Petit-Rechain photo became an icon of the Belgian wave, was later declared a hoax, and became disputed again through a 2024 counterclaim.
Background
The Petit-Rechain photograph became the best-known image icon of the Belgian UFO wave. For years it shaped the public imagination of the case as a triangular craft with lights. In 2011, however, Patrick Maréchal said the image had been staged with a polystyrene model and lights. In 2024 Roger Stankovic claimed on X that Maréchal privately said the opposite and had been paid for the hoax confession. This makes the image not proof, but a disputed media object: the photograph, the debunking, and the counterclaim must be separated.
Connections
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🔍Featured in Stories(1)
References
🔗Wikipedia: Belgian UFO wave — Petit-Rechain photograph and 2011 hoax confession🔗Roger Stankovic on X: disputed 2024 claim about Patrick Maréchal / Petit-Rechain photo🔗Anomalien: report on disputed paid-hoax claim around the Petit-Rechain photo🔗Imgur: comparison of Belgian triangle / Petit-Rechain image captures🔗The Week: Petit-Rechain photo hoax confession context