Sighting in Plaisir, July 17, 2013
Yvelines, Île-de-France, France
Sighting on July 17, 2013 in Plaisir (Yvelines, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a meteor or fireball (class B).
What happened
Shortly before midnight, at 11:58 pm, a witness looking out of a window saw an incandescent object cross the clear sky. It gave off a white light, left no trail and moved very fast, following a descending path.
This description fits a bolide very well, meaning a meteoroid entering the atmosphere. No automatic camera recorded the event. However, GEIPAN received a similar account with a reported time very close to this one (11:45 pm). That observation was made in Saint-Germain-sur-Ille (35), toward the east, with the object moving from north to south. Bolides, which witnesses often perceive as very close, occur at altitudes between 100 and 50 km and can therefore be seen over an area about 200 km across.
GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable bolide observation.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- July 17, 2013
- Location
- Plaisir · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Meteors and fireballs
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2013-07-08496
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.