Sighting in Lima, September 1, 2023

During a flight over the Atlantic, an airline pilot and the copilot saw two moving luminous objects straight ahead of the aircraft, very low in the sky (between 0 and 2 degrees of angular height). The pilot first thought they were the lights of aircraft maneuvering, but the objects seemed to be getting farther away. Their height then rose to about 12°, giving the impression that they were at a much higher altitude. Their brightness gradually dropped until they could no longer be seen. The observation lasted more than half an hour.

GEIPAN rated the case as having low strangeness and medium consistency: there were several witnesses, but only one account and no photo. The description fits Starlink® satellite flashes well: rapid changes in brightness that can match Venus, apparent movements of a few degrees, and a constant presence in the same area of the sky. A check with Stellarium confirmed that the conditions for observing these satellites were met, with the observation made on the vertical of the Sun, which had set 30 to 45° below the horizon. The witness's azimuth of 82° was off by about twenty degrees, but the fixed stars on the sketch are most likely Castor and Pollux, which lie exactly on the vertical of the Sun's apparent position (azimuth 60°). The case is classified A: observation of Starlink® satellite flashes.