Sighting in Pompignan, November 17, 2016

At about 10 p.m., under a cloudy sky, two people noticed a green streak in the sky and were intrigued by it. One of the witnesses took several photographs, and two testimonies were collected. The witnesses placed the phenomenon at an azimuth of 134°.

The investigation traced the streak to the beams of a giant laser show, the work of an international artist, set up on the roof of the Quai des Savoirs in Toulouse. The show was on view from 18 to 20 November 2016, but tests had begun earlier: the organizer confirmed they were already taking place on 15 November. A local news website had already reported witnesses surprised on the evening of 16 November, with descriptions and distances to the event similar to those in this case. Another witness had also reported the laser to GEIPAN for 15 November. Their photos show the same appearance as those in the present file, notably the green line of light.

The reported azimuth is consistent with the direction of the beam: the Quai des Savoirs lies 25 km away, at 155°. A smartphone compass is imprecise, and the laser's impact on the clouds can be more than 10 km from where it was fired. GEIPAN therefore classified the case as A: a laser.