Sighting in Claret, August 22, 2012
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Sighting on August 22, 2012 in Claret (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was the International Space Station (ISS) (class A).
What happened
A witness was puzzled by something they saw in the sky at 10:19 pm. A point of light passed over, first following a straight path, then began moving in jerky motions from right to left before disappearing.
The GEIPAN investigation matched this description to a pass of the International Space Station: the appearance and the direction of travel agreed to within one minute. The temporary disappearance was explained by changes in the reflection of sunlight on the station as it rotated. The jerky movements were a perceptual illusion known as the autokinetic illusion, which occurs when a light being followed is no longer surrounded by fixed reference points, for example when it crosses an area of sky without very bright stars. The case was classified A: observation of the ISS together with an autokinetic illusion.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- August 22, 2012
- Location
- Claret · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Space station (ISS)
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2012-08-08303
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.