Sighting in Pennautier, October 20, 1990
Aude, Occitanie, France
Sighting on October 20, 1990 in Pennautier (Aude, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably the atmospheric re-entry of a space object (rocket stage, debris) (class B).
What happened
Between 6:30 and 6:45 pm, a witness and their spouse were out walking along a path when a bright white ball of light appeared in the sky. It was followed by a luminous trail of the same colour. The whole thing followed a curved path from southwest to northeast, then quickly vanished behind the houses lining the path. No sound was heard. The total length of the observation was not stated.
Only one account was collected. The description resembled that of a bolide. The case was rated as having medium strangeness and medium consistency, because it rested on a single witness. GEIPAN classified it B: it was most likely a misidentification of a well-known astronomical phenomenon, the entry of a meteoroid into the atmosphere.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- October 20, 1990
- Location
- Pennautier · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Re-entries
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 1990-10-50520
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.