Sighting in Fagnon, August 14, 1998

At 6 a.m., from home, a witness noticed a large, very bright point of light in the sky. It looked mostly stationary but seemed to drift very slowly. It sat fairly low on the horizon, toward the east. The witness filmed it. When questioned by the gendarmerie, they said they had already seen the same thing a few days earlier. Their spouse also saw it, but that second person was never interviewed, so only one statement was collected.

When GEIPAN re-examined the file using current tools, it was able to reconstruct the astronomical and weather conditions. These showed that the planet Venus was exactly where the witness placed the phenomenon, although the witness never recognised or mentioned it. The description fits Venus perfectly, and the object seen was real. The file has limits: the video is unavailable, the second witness was not heard, and the gendarmes' questioning was very brief and incomplete. GEIPAN classified the case as A, previously C: the sightings were very probably of Venus, seen on more than one occasion.