Sighting in Ploërmel, July 22, 1985

On the night of 22 to 23 July 1985, at 11:15 pm, a witness at home noticed an unusual light in the sky. The phenomenon was then watched until 3:30 am, by this witness and by other people, from various places in the area. It was oval and gave off a pale white light, with a light source circling around it. The witness felt that it swept across the sky from side to side. No sound was heard, and the phenomenon vanished suddenly. Only one witness account was collected.

The case was first classified D, then reexamined. The investigation looked at two closely related hypotheses: searchlight beams from a nightclub device (Skytracer), or those of the "triomphe de Saint-Cyr" event at the Coëtquidan military camp. In both cases, the beams would be hitting a low cloud layer. Many points fit: an overall viewing direction toward the east, visibility consistent with the distances involved, low cloud, clear horizons, an ovoid shape, beams of light, movement, dim brightness and a white colour. A few points fit less well: a rectangular shape to the left of the main form, the position of the phenomenon during one phase of the observation, the unlikely use of searchlights in a nightclub, and the fact that the date fell on a Monday night.

The searchlights from the Coëtquidan "triomphe" seemed the more likely source: they did exist and could have been used a few days before or after the ceremony. This can no longer be verified, but nothing rules it out. The case was therefore classified B: confusion with a set of searchlights whose beams were hitting the low cloud layer.