Sighting in Saint-Thibéry, July 12, 2015

Sometime between 3 and 4 a.m., a witness was on the banks of the Hérault river. They noticed a small star whose light flashed at regular intervals. It then moved in a straight line, flashed again, and disappeared while the sky was clear. The witness heard no particular noise. Only one account was collected.

GEIPAN rated the case as having low strangeness and low consistency, since there was a single witness and the time was imprecise. It concluded that the witness probably mistook a satellite, out of control and spinning rapidly, for something unusual. The sighting matched the typical features of such an object: brief, intense flashes, a short observation, slow movement, and the look of a star or satellite. The Iridium 73 satellite, known for its regular flashing, passed directly through the area the witness described at a very close time. However, because the time was not precisely given, the satellite could not be formally identified. The case is classified B: probable misidentification of an out-of-control, rapidly spinning satellite.