Sighting in Villautou, October 24, 2021

At around 7 a.m., from the terrace of a village house, a witness noticed a faintly glowing point moving in a straight line, very slowly, toward them. They first thought it was a satellite, but then made out several points of light and went to fetch their glasses. When they came back, the phenomenon looked like a black triangle with a white, slightly yellowish light at each corner. At about 75° elevation, the object turned, pivoting on itself, and headed northeast. The witness estimated its apparent size at 15 mm on a ruler held at arm's length. The observation lasted about a minute.

The GEIPAN first investigated remotely, then held a cognitive interview with the witness, which made it possible to reconstruct the observation parameters precisely. The case was rated as having good consistency. The air traffic radar map ruled out an aircraft. The International Space Station (ISS) hypothesis was examined in detail: positions and movements match fairly well. The azimuth gap, about 30° at the start and about 10° at the highest point of the pass, could stem from an approximation by the witness. The time difference is minimal. The apparent turn is explained by a change in the witness's perspective after the ISS passed its highest point, since the final directions of the object and the station are consistent. The slow, straight-moving white point at the start has all the characteristics of the ISS.

The dark triangular shape is explained by the object's very small size (1°) and by dawn light, which degrades color perception and visual acuity, especially for nearsighted people. The apparent size is explained by the ISS's strong brightness, which some witnesses overestimate, whereas it appears point-like from the ground. No cargo vehicle was near the station. The three identical lights remain hard to explain, without invalidating the hypothesis; a 2018 case reports several points during a confirmed ISS sighting. The witness also never mentioned any other bright point that could have been the ISS. The GEIPAN rated the case B: probable sighting of the ISS.