Sighting in Lavercantière, April 19, 2023

At 4:30 a.m., from their south-facing bedroom, the witness saw a point of light moving horizontally across the sky from west to east, at an estimated elevation of 30 to 45 degrees above the horizon. A very bright, fluorescent green trail followed it. The point of light changed from orange to bright red, then vanished abruptly in what looked like an "explosion". The sighting was very brief.

There was only one witness, and no photographs or video. Under GEIPAN criteria, the consistency of the case was therefore rated as medium.

The investigation concluded that the witness had probably seen a meteor entering the atmosphere. The appearance of the phenomenon (colours, strong brightness, a trail), the very short duration and the straight trajectory all match a meteor. The final "explosion" points to the meteor breaking up and vaporising, wholly or in part. The only oddity for the witness was the horizontal path, which can be explained by a meteor whose radiant lay near the horizon, or by a simple perspective effect. Searches of witness-report databases and automated video recordings found nothing, which is plausible given the early hour and the relatively long distance to the nearest automated camera. The case was classified B.