Sighting in Cholet, June 13, 2014

Shortly before one in the morning, a witness was looking at the stars through a new telescope when they noticed two bright white points. The two points moved together, always keeping the same distance between them. The sky was full of stars, and the witness eventually lost sight of them for good. They were struck by the unusual movements of the phenomenon and supplied sketches and a photograph. This was the only account collected.

GEIPAN rated the case as having low strangeness and fairly good consistency: there was a single witness, but the report contained many astronomical reference points and a photo. The investigation concluded that the witness had mistaken a pair of American military satellites, NOSS-3 6, for something unusual. Their brightness, angular separation, path and timing all matched what was described. According to the analysis, the photograph most likely does not show the phenomenon itself, only the area where it had vanished. The double star 16 Cygni, which appears in the image as two close points, was most likely taken by the witness for the phenomenon. The pauses described could be explained by the observation being interrupted: the glare of the Moon and the many stars may have temporarily hidden the objects. The case is classified A.