Sighting in Saint-Maixent-sur-Vie, May 12, 2012

The witness reported many sightings in the sky since 2011. The most recent took place on a Saturday in May 2012 at around 11:05 pm, on a Tuesday in May at around 11:53 pm, and in early June at 12:19 am. Each time, the witness saw bright balls of light, as brilliant as stars, moving across the sky in a zigzag pattern. They could speed up, drop or climb very quickly, and made no sound.

The investigation found that the dated sightings matched flashes of sunlight on the Iridium and Metop satellites exactly, according to Calsky records. The other sightings were most likely caused by other satellites. A slight zigzag in a point of light seen against a dark background is a common illusion, known as the autokinetic effect, caused by the tiny movements the eye makes while following the point. The impression of moving away or coming closer comes from changes in brightness: an object that grows dimmer seems to recede.

GEIPAN classified the case as A: reflections of sunlight on satellites.