Sighting in Luant, November 7, 2015

Shortly after midnight, a witness who was outside near their home noticed a coloured, stationary light in the overcast sky. It was very bright and seemed to flicker. The witness also noticed that the electricity meter nearby hummed more loudly whenever the light was visible. The observation lasted about 20 minutes, though it was intermittent. Only one account was collected.

GEIPAN investigators considered an astronomical misidentification, given how long the sighting lasted. Sirius was located in the direction the witness reported, to the south-east, at an elevation of 5 to 10° above the horizon. The witness had estimated it higher, at 20 to 30°, but this difference falls within the usual tolerance when no particular measuring technique has been used. The intermittent visibility can be explained by heavy cloud cover that was not necessarily continuous that night. The green and red colours may result from atmospheric scintillation of the star at low elevation. As for the louder meter hum, it may be linked to the tension or surprise the witness felt, since the perception of sound can be amplified or reduced under such conditions.

GEIPAN concluded that this was very probably an observation of Sirius through an overcast sky, and the case was classified B.