Sighting in Camaret-sur-Aigues, December 10, 2013

A witness watched a point of light for half an hour, at around one o'clock in the morning. It stayed fixed in the sky and looked coloured. The witness took photographs with a 4-second exposure; they show zigzagging streaks of light caused by the movements of the person holding the camera. The witness later also mentioned another bright point seen towards the south-west, in the direction of Orange, in mid-December between 6 and 7 p.m. In email exchanges with the GEIPAN, they also reported lights close to the ground, in line with air base 115 (Orange-Caritat aerodrome).

The investigation concluded that the light seen during the night was probably Sirius, located to the south-south-east, with a magnitude of -1.44. That day a strong mistral was blowing, with air that was very clear but turbulent, conditions that favour strong twinkling of stars. The point of light seen in the early evening towards Orange was the planet Venus. The lights near the ground may have come from activity on the air base. However, the GEIPAN could not get the witness to give precise viewing directions, so the hypothesis could not be confirmed with certainty. The case is classified B: probable observation of the star Sirius.