Sighting in Méthamis, August 14, 2012

Between 11:30 and 11:35 pm, a witness saw an orange light appear in the sky. It was rounded, slightly triangular in shape, and moved silently along a perfectly straight, steady, horizontal path, heading west. The sighting lasted about two minutes. Three other people also saw the phenomenon but did not give statements.

Investigators first favored a Thai lantern, given the description and the fact that the date was a traditional day of celebration. However, the Avignon weather record showed a light southerly wind, which was in principle incompatible with a north-easterly flow in the Methamis valley, so this explanation was dropped. Atmospheric re-entry of satellite debris was ruled out because the object moved westward. Its apparent speed was too slow for a fireball (meteorite entry), especially since it was described as not very bright. The reported appearance was not consistent with an aircraft either. Given these uncertainties, GEIPAN classified the case as C: insufficient data.