Sighting in Marsaneix, April 2, 2004
Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Sighting on April 2, 2004 in Marsaneix (Dordogne, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was the planet Venus (class A).
What happened
During the night, several witnesses noticed a very bright point of light in the west, surrounded by stars. Gendarmes who went to the scene found that the point stood about 30° above the horizon and seemed to move very slowly.
The gendarmerie investigation established that the point was the planet Venus, seen in the middle of the Pleiades star cluster, which is often mistaken for the Little Dipper. This alignment is rare and occurs only once every eight years. The case was classified A, as it was an observation of Venus.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- April 2, 2004
- Location
- Marsaneix · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Planets
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2004-04-01621
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.