Sighting in Metz, July 20, 2020

At around 11:35 p.m., a witness was outside watching comet Neowise through binoculars when they noticed, to the north-northwest, a phenomenon that at first looked like an airliner turning at low altitude. The whole thing was V-shaped. A red light sat at the center, surrounded by several colored lights, steady and intense, which hid the outline of the object. It moved slowly, then the witness lost sight of it for 15 seconds. They then found it again as a dazzling white light, seen through binoculars at the end of its path. Everything was completely silent. The sighting lasted between 45 seconds and a minute, until the object vanished to the east behind the treetops. There was only one witness account, with no photo or video.

The GEIPAN split the analysis into two phases. For the first, the most plausible explanation was a civil or military aircraft, while light-emitting balloons and lanterns were ruled out. The steady red and green lights, the change of shape caused by a turn, the apparent size of a large aircraft and the low speed all suggested a military transport plane flying at very low altitude. A military exercise, CASEX, had begun that day, but far from the witness. No radar trace was found, the GEIPAN's military aviation expert considered the presence of such an aircraft very unlikely, and the lack of noise, despite wind conditions favorable to sound travel, points the same way. This phase is classified D, unidentified after investigation.

For the second phase, records confirm that the ISS was following the described path that evening. Its appearance, timing, duration and silence all fit. The reported flashes, glare and hazy look around the object do not match this explanation, but using binoculars may have exaggerated them. The witness did not see the ISS in addition to the phenomenon, which supports the idea that they mistook one for the other. This phase is classified B, probable sighting of the ISS.