Sighting in Martigues, September 15, 1980
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Sighting on September 15, 1980 in Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône, France). GEIPAN considers the phenomenon probably identified (class B).
What happened
Between 7:40 pm and 9:30 pm, several people watched a luminous phenomenon from their homes. It looked like a bright point, larger in appearance than a star, whose brightness and color changed. It eventually disappeared toward the northwest.
The GEIPAN investigation concluded that the witnesses had most likely seen the star Arcturus (spelled "Acturus" in the source), which was particularly easy to see at that time of year, with a magnitude of 0.15. The case was classified B, meaning probably identified.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- September 15, 1980
- Location
- Martigues · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 1980-09-00803
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.