Sighting in Maubec, December 3, 2023

The witness was outside their home when they noticed a pale yellow phenomenon in the sky, of low brightness and with no trail. It crossed the sky from east to west along a straight, almost horizontal path. The sighting lasted about 20 seconds. The witness was alone and only reported it five months later, and there is no photo or video of the phenomenon. For these reasons, GEIPAN rated the consistency of the case as medium.

The investigation concluded that the witness had probably seen a "slow" meteor, a rare phenomenon but one that has been characterised before. Several points support this: the elongated shape typical of a meteor entering the atmosphere, with a short trail merged into the main body; the diffuse pale yellow colour and low brightness, consistent with a small meteor; and the straight, grazing, nearly horizontal movement. This path and duration, the latter possibly overestimated because of the late report, are not the most common. However, a similar case was documented in France on 7 October 2021 and recorded by several cameras of the FRIPON network. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable observation of a meteor.