Sighting in Valentine, March 17, 2010
Haute-Garonne, Occitanie, France
Sighting on March 17, 2010 in Valentine (Haute-Garonne, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was the Moon (class A).
What happened
A driver noticed an orange light that caught their attention, very low on the horizon, at around 8:40 pm. They stopped to photograph it, facing west. The phenomenon was shaped like a crescent and disappeared shortly after the pictures were taken.
GEIPAN's investigation checked the astronomical ephemerides for 16 and 17 March 2010. At 18:40 UT, which was 8:40 pm local time, the Moon was in the last stage of its new moon phase, just above the horizon. It was still lit by the sun and showed up as a faint orange crescent, matching both the witness's photographs and their description. The case was classified A: the witness had observed the Moon.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- March 17, 2010
- Location
- Valentine · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Moon
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2010-03-02540
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.