Sighting in Fresnay-le-Comte, October 25, 1979

At about 7:30 a.m., a driver and two passengers were travelling along the D137 toward Chartres. As they neared the entrance to the village, they noticed a luminous object above a wood, which intrigued them. It was red, not dazzling but rather phosphorescent. One witness described it as an isosceles trapezoid, another as a bowl. No sound was heard during the observation, which lasted 15 to 20 seconds. The object rose while changing shape, first rectangular and then reduced to a single line, before disappearing completely. It gave off a glow that lit up the wood. Two statements were filed with the gendarmerie.

GEIPAN re-examined this case, originally classified D, and reclassified it as A. The witnesses compared the object's colour to that of a red, non-dazzling Sun, as at sunset or before a rainy day. It was verified that the Sun was rising exactly in the direction of the sighting. The sky was overcast, which most likely prevented the witnesses from recognising the Sun, and they never mention having seen it. The clouds, probably with small gaps, were moved by a wind of more than 15 km/h. This accounts for the changes in shape and the disappearance, as the Sun gradually went behind a cloud. The glow on the wood is also consistent with the Sun. GEIPAN concluded that the witnesses had mistaken the rising Sun for something else. Their perception was not at fault; rather, their interpretation was influenced by driving, surprise and poor weather.