Sighting in Cambes, March 4, 2015

At around 8:15 p.m., a witness noticed a slightly off-white disc in the sky, as large and bright as the Moon. It hung above the trees, with two thin bright streaks on either side. The disc moved slowly, then stretched into an elongated shape accompanied by two red lights and one white light, before vanishing from view. The witness was worried by what they saw. Theirs was the only account received.

GEIPAN phoned the witness to clarify a few points. They had been looking toward the north-east and had clearly noticed the Moon to their right. They confirmed seeing two small, thin streaks around the luminous disc.

The investigation found that this description matches a paraselene, an atmospheric optical phenomenon appearing 22° and/or 46° from the Moon, at a similar elevation. It is an image of the Moon created by reflection off ice crystals in high-altitude cold clouds (cirrus). The weather record for the day was consulted. GEIPAN classified the case A: lunar halo.