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Sighting in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, August 5, 2013

Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France

Sighting on August 5, 2013 in Notre-Dame-des-Landes (Loire-Atlantique, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was the International Space Station (ISS) (class A).

What happened

A couple noticed a very bright point of light crossing the sky from west to east at 23:14, early in the night. The witness said the light sometimes seemed to veer off its path.

The GEIPAN investigation found that this movement had all the characteristics of a large satellite. The Calsky data show that the International Space Station (ISS) passed over that evening between 23:11 and 23:16, which matches the time of the sighting exactly. The deviations from a straight path that were reported were most likely a visual illusion in the perception of a moving point of light in the sky. GEIPAN classified the case as A: the observers had seen the ISS passing overhead.

Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.

Date
August 5, 2013
Location
Notre-Dame-des-Landes · town centre
Type of sighting
From the ground
Source classification
A
Explanation
Space station (ISS)

Sources

Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.