Sighting in Perpignan, December 12, 2012
Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitanie, France
Sighting from an aircraft on December 12, 2012 in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was pyrotechnics (fireworks, flares…) (class A).
What happened
In the evening, at 19:20 UTC, a pilot and a controller noticed a very bright yellow-orange light in the sky and were puzzled by it. A photograph of the phenomenon was taken from the aircraft. Another observer on the ground at Espira-de-l'Agly also saw it the same day.
A local inquiry with the nearby military base revealed that training exercises using flares had taken place two evenings in a row. GEIPAN concluded that the light was one of these flares. The case was fully characterized and was therefore classified A.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- December 12, 2012
- Location
- Perpignan · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From an aircraft
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Fireworks and flares
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2012-12-08373
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.