Sighting in La Madeleine, January 11, 2020

Shortly after half past midnight, a witness noticed something puzzling in a sky with few clouds. For 40 minutes, they watched white lights appear one after another. The lights looked like a large white tube and moved quickly along a curved path. The phenomenon seemed to occur above the countryside, in the direction of two neighbouring villages. The witness could not see any laser beam from the ground. Tired, they went to bed after filming the scene with their mobile phone. This was the only account collected.

The investigation favoured a mix-up with a "skytracker" laser, probably used that night by a nightclub in Bailleul, in line with the direction of the sighting. The elongated, diffuse shape matches a spot of light hitting the clouds, stretched by perspective although the beam is round when it leaves the projector. White is a common colour for such devices, and the rapid, regular movements point to an automated system. The beam itself was visible neither to the naked eye nor in the raw video, because the very clear air held few particles to reveal it. Once the video was enhanced, however, the beam did show up. Saturday night suits this kind of festive or promotional lighting, and these projectors can reach beyond 20 km. The actual use of the projector that night could not be confirmed, but the explanation remains very probable. GEIPAN classified the case as A.