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Sighting in Annecy-le-Vieux, June 13, 2011

Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Sighting on June 13, 2011 in Annecy-le-Vieux (Haute-Savoie, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was the International Space Station (ISS) (class A).

What happened

Shortly after 11 p.m., the witness was at home when they noticed a point of light moving quickly across the sky. It followed a downward path, gradually lost brightness, and then vanished behind a cloud. The witness heard no particular noise during the sighting.

GEIPAN's investigation compared the account with the pass data for the International Space Station and its ground track, and both matched what the witness had seen. On that date the ATV2 vehicle was docked to the station. The pass had a magnitude of -3.5, meaning a very bright object, visible to the naked eye. The witness had not seen the start of the pass at the zenith, so they took the end of the pass for a "descent". The case was classified A: it was a sighting of the ISS.

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

Date
June 13, 2011
Location
Annecy-le-Vieux · town centre
Type of sighting
From the ground
Source classification
A
Explanation
Space station (ISS)

Sources

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