Sighting in Saint-Max, June 6, 2013

At about 10:50 p.m., several people at home saw a white light move silently across the sky from south to north-east. The object was then hidden by the landscape. The witness described a movement that was not in a straight line, "like an earthworm", and a brightness twice that of Venus.

The information supplied by the witness, checked against Calsky records, showed that this was the International Space Station, which was visible above the town that evening. Its overall path, from south to north-east and peaking at 60°, matched what had been seen. The ISS's calculated magnitude under those conditions, -4.2, was consistent with the brightness described. The wavering impression of the path is a common optical illusion when following a very bright point against a dark background. A gap of about five minutes remained between the time given by the witness and the ISS bulletin. GEIPAN sent the witness the ISS pass forecasts for 8 and 9 June, and the witness confirmed that this was what they had seen. The case was classified A: observation of the ISS.