Sighting in Theix, May 6, 2008
Morbihan, Bretagne, France
Sighting on May 6, 2008 in Theix (Morbihan, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably the planet Jupiter (class B).
What happened
In May 2009 the GEIPAN received a very short email describing a sighting made during the night of Monday 5 to Tuesday 6 May 2008, between 3 and 4 a.m. The witness reported a luminous ball moving from east to south. No further details were provided, and the direct account contains too little information to allow a proper analysis.
At that hour Jupiter stood in the south-east, at an azimuth of 128° and an elevation of about 3° 48'. It could therefore have been the source of a mix-up, particularly since the witness did not mention it. The perceived movement may be explained by the autokinetic illusion, in which a stationary point of light seems to drift across the sky.
The case was classified B: the investigation considers it a probable misidentification of Jupiter.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- May 6, 2008
- Location
- Theix · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Planets
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2008-05-08393
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.