Sighting in Limoux, August 11, 2018

Around 10:25 p.m., the witness was watching shooting stars from their terrace when they noticed a bright object almost directly overhead. It crossed the sky in a straight line from the southeast to the northwest and seemed to be flying at low altitude. It looked unusually large and was flashing. It moved at a steady speed, in complete silence, faster than an aircraft at high altitude. Gradually its brightness and flashing weakened until it faded into the night. The sighting lasted about three minutes.

The account was fairly complete and precise, but it came from a single witness and no photo was taken, so the GEIPAN rated the case as low in strangeness and medium in consistency. The description, in particular the rapid changes in brightness, strongly suggested a satellite spinning quickly on itself. An analysis of satellite trajectories showed that two satellites, ERS-2 and AZUR, matched the path and timing the witness reported. Both are uncontrolled space debris and both rotate rapidly. ERS-2 was judged the more consistent match, because its apparent speed is higher and it is known for spinning fast. The case was classified B: probable sighting of a satellite rotating rapidly on itself.