Sighting in Moosch, September 19, 1990

At around 9:45 pm, a couple and two children saw an egg-shaped, milky-white form in the overcast sky. Above the forest it moved back and forth and rotated, then disappeared. The whole episode lasted about 15 minutes. The witnesses described it as opaque, milky and dull, with a diffuse light that did not illuminate its surroundings.

A neighbourhood inquiry turned up four other witnesses who had seen similar phenomena on 19, 20 and 21 September. The gendarmerie carried out the investigation on site.

The case was first classified D. After re-examination it was reclassified B. The cases GEIPAN has accumulated since show that this observation fits very well with a luminous spot cast on the clouds by a ground-based projector (laser, skytracer): the oval shape is explained by the viewing angle, and the movements, colour, appearance and cloud cover all match. No local or private event was found, and the sighting took place on a Wednesday evening. Thirty years on, this is not decisive: an event, or setup tests during the week ahead of a weekend event, cannot be ruled out. GEIPAN regrets the lack of angular measurements, photographs and video.