Sighting in Attenschwiller, August 20, 2012

Between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., two witnesses saw a very bright orange object cross the sky silently, travelling from north to south. Through binoculars they could make out a halo around it and a faint trail. The sighting lasted less than a minute; the object then dimmed and disappeared behind a neighbouring house. Only one of the two witnesses sent an account to GEIPAN.

The wind recorded in Basel was light and came from the south to west, which rules out an object carried by the wind, such as a Thai lantern. The duration, the trail seen through binoculars, the fading brightness and the shift toward white all fit the fall of satellite debris. The Space-Track website lists three debris re-entries that day, but their orbits do not match the observation. A witness cannot judge the distance of this kind of phenomenon. Given how precise the testimony was, but with no proof available, GEIPAN classified the case as B: a probable atmospheric re-entry, either a natural meteoroid or, more likely, satellite debris.