Sighting in Carbonne, December 12, 2012
Haute-Garonne, Occitanie, France
Sighting on December 12, 2012 in Carbonne (Haute-Garonne, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a meteor or fireball (class B).
What happened
At around 7 a.m., a witness was puzzled by a dull noise. They then noticed a flash of light, followed by a blue or yellow ball that crossed the sky quickly. The witness saw no trail behind it.
The investigation found that the description clearly matches a large bolide: a powerful light lasting a few seconds, together with a sound. The date falls very close to the peak of the Geminid meteor shower. The BOAM network recorded many events of this kind at that time. Its cameras, however, are located in northern France and most likely did not capture this particular bolide, which was south of Toulouse.
GEIPAN classified the case as B: a probable sighting of a bolide, most likely from the Geminid shower.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- December 12, 2012
- Location
- Carbonne · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Meteors and fireballs
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2012-12-08375
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.