Sighting in Saint-Pierre-d'Aurillac, September 6, 2021

One evening, the witness was out walking with their daughter when two very bright white points caught their eye. They moved one behind the other, as if they were part of a single object. The lights were white and did not flash. They were high in the sky at first, then traced a kind of curve as they descended toward the horizon. They gradually faded, even though the sky was completely clear. The sighting lasted one to two minutes. The witness said the lights were not heading toward Mérignac airport but toward the northeast.

The GEIPAN considered the case to be well founded: there was only one witness and no photograph, and the time of the sighting was rather vague, but the path among the stars was precise. The description strongly suggested a pair of satellites following each other. The NOSS 3-8 satellite pair did pass at a time matching the sighting, on a path fully consistent with the one the witness described. The witness had first thought of a space shuttle, but the object seemed too large and too low for that. However, when you do not know what you are looking at, it is very hard to judge an object's size and altitude correctly, especially at night. The case was classified A: observation of the NOSS 3-8 satellite pair.