Sighting in Noyon, August 1986

On an evening in August 1986, the witness watched points of light cross the sky from north to south. The sighting lasted about twelve minutes. According to the account, the lights followed a zigzag path and then appeared to speed away. The report only reached the GEIPAN in 2014, long after the event, and it does not give the exact day; the date of 1 August was chosen arbitrarily.

The GEIPAN considers that the description strongly resembles the passage of artificial satellites, which were already easy to see at that time. A zigzag path does not fit a satellite, but the autokinetic effect, which makes a fixed point of light seem to move across the sky, can account for it; witnesses fairly often report it under certain viewing conditions. The impression of rapid flight would match the satellite entering the Earth's shadow. Because no precise date was given, the GEIPAN could not check which satellite had passed at that moment. The case therefore remains in category C, for insufficient data.