Sighting in Bachant, July 24, 2013
Nord, Hauts-de-France, France
Sighting on July 24, 2013 in Bachant (Nord, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a meteor or fireball (class B).
What happened
Around midnight, several people watched a luminous phenomenon move across the sky without making any sound. It stayed in view for a few seconds and left a long, very bright trail behind it.
This description strongly suggests a bolide, meaning a meteoroid entering the atmosphere, which becomes a meteorite if it reaches the ground. GEIPAN and other organisations (IMCCE, Ciel des hommes, BOAM) received many similar reports the night before, that same night and the following nights. This shows that at this time of year the Earth passes through a region of space fairly rich in small bodies, known as meteoroid swarms.
However, this particular event could not be fully characterised. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable sighting of a bolide.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- July 24, 2013
- Location
- Bachant · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Meteors and fireballs
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2013-07-08501
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.