Sighting in La Couronne, August 21, 2025

At about 11:23 pm, the witness was outside, in front of their house, when an unidentified aerial phenomenon crossed the sky for a few seconds. The object was spherical and very bright white, with a slightly fuzzy outline, and it was followed by a double trail. The witness compared its apparent size to a ping-pong ball, with the Moon being likened to a tennis ball.

After peaking at about 60° in the north, the phenomenon gradually faded away toward the north-east, following a perfect arc. There was only one witness and no photo or video, so the GEIPAN rated the case's consistency as medium. What made it strange for the witness was its spectacular appearance: its strong brightness, its very regular motion and its double trail.

The only hypothesis the investigation examined was a bolide, a meteor entering the atmosphere. It fits the spherical shape, the white color, the brightness, the curved trajectory covered quickly, the brief duration and the presence of a trail. The trail being double suggests the meteor was breaking up as it heated up. About 80° of sky was crossed in a few seconds, a high speed consistent with a bolide. Based on the witness's account, the angular size was very small, around 0.3°, which suggests the celestial body was probably modest in size. No other witness account was collected by the GEIPAN, the IMO/AMS or the FRIPON camera network. The GEIPAN classed the case as B: probable sighting of a bolide.