Sighting in Pujols, December 9, 1980
Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Sighting on December 9, 1980 in Pujols (Gironde, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was the planet Venus (class A).
What happened
For several days in a row, a witness noticed an orange glow appearing in the east between 6:30 and 8:30 in the morning. On 12 December 1980, the local gendarmerie brigade decided to watch for the phenomenon themselves. They saw a light slowly climbing in the sky. As the observation went on, an optical effect made the light seem to move. It also changed color as daylight came, while still continuing to rise. The gendarmes thought of a particular star.
The investigation checked the sky chart for those days. It showed Venus gradually appearing in the east, rising, and then disappearing as day broke. GEIPAN classified the case as A: the sighting was an astronomical observation of Venus.
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 9, 1980
- Location
- Pujols · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Planets
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 1980-12-00837
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.