Sighting in Chanaz, August 22, 1980

At around 9:45 p.m., a strong glow drew a witness out of their home. In the night sky, they saw a burst of orange-red flashes forming a round shape with a tail. The phenomenon moved fast and silently along a straight path. The witness noticed no smell. Theirs was the only account collected, on 24 August 1980.

The witness gave no duration for the sighting, but the investigation indirectly estimated it at between 10 seconds at the least and one to two minutes at the most.

GEIPAN considered that the appearance and trajectory fit well with the atmospheric re-entry of a meteoroid or of a satellite object. The estimated duration is consistent with a meteoroid on a path tangential to the atmosphere, which is rare but has been observed, with durations of up to two minutes, and also with a satellite object, which always follows such a path. The lack of other witnesses lowers the likelihood of this explanation without ruling it out: the phenomenon was large and bright, visible for at least 10 seconds, and crossed a wide area, at an hour that was dark but not late, in summer and during the holiday period. The case's consistency is poor. Following up with the witness could have yielded a more precise azimuth and elevation and, above all, a better duration. It is just enough to support the re-entry hypothesis, despite this remaining oddity. The case, previously rated D, was re-examined and classified B: probable observation of an atmospheric re-entry.