Sighting in Vougeot, September 3, 2025

Two witnesses were on foot at the entrance to the château when, at 9:44 pm, they noticed an oval white light toward the north, about 45° above the horizon. It moved in repeated curving patterns above the clouds, on a cycle of roughly five seconds. At times a white trail appeared, sometimes hidden by the cloud cover. No sound was heard. The phenomenon lasted nearly five minutes before the light vanished. One of the witnesses made three videos and took a photograph. They ruled out a projection from the ground, since the source seemed to come from a high point and no light from the ground was visible.

Only this witness completed the GEIPAN questionnaire, but the case has notable consistency, reinforced by analysis of the images. The investigation considered the possibility of a skytracker, a powerful ground-based searchlight whose beam moves in regular, repeated, often circular patterns. The videos and photograph confirm everything the witness reported: the light stands out against an apparently low cloud, faintly lit by light pollution, probably from Dijon, which lies roughly in the direction of observation. Weather data from Dijon-Longvic air base, about 15 km to the north-east, show a uniform cloud ceiling of 8/8 oktas between about 1,900 and 2,400 m, conditions favourable to a bright patch forming on the cloud base. White is a common colour for this kind of equipment, and the trail most likely corresponds to part of the beam showing up against suspended water droplets. Dijon is 15 to 20 km away, a distance compatible with the usual range of these projectors. No exceptional event was reported in the city that night, and no information was found on any use of skytrackers. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable observation of a skytracker used at a private party or event.