Sighting in Gisors, July 21, 2013

At around 4 a.m., a witness noticed a dark red light hanging motionless in a cloudy sky. It lay in the direction of azimuth 230°, toward the southwest. The witness described a round, red object about four times larger than the Moon, at an elevation of 25°. They said the sky was overcast and no celestial body could be seen.

The investigation established that the Moon was at azimuth 231° at that moment, but only 4.6° above the horizon. GEIPAN considered it very likely that the witness was fooled by the well-known illusion that makes the Moon look huge close to the horizon. A thin veil of cloud partly covered it and hid the surface details that would have allowed the witness to recognise it. Having been woken in the middle of the night may also have added to the surprise at an unusual sight.

The case was classified B (probably identified): the object was most likely the Moon. The considerable difference between the elevation given by the witness and the Moon's actual elevation is why the case was not classified A.