UFO sightings by place
UFO sightings in Bouches-du-Rhône: 88 reports
SkyUnknown lists 88 UFO sightings in Bouches-du-Rhône, from 1976 to 2026, drawn from official records: GEIPAN (CNES). The busiest year was 2014, with 9 cases.
Of the 88 cases with a conclusion from their source, 69% are explained (with certainty or probably), 27% lack the data to conclude, and 3 remain unidentified. The most frequent identified causes: aircraft (8); sky lanterns (8); balloons (5).
Most frequently named places: Marseille (19), Martigues (6), Aix-en-Provence (6), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (4), and Istres (3).
- cases
- 88
- unidentified
- 3
- period
- 1976–2026
- source
- 1
Map of the cases
Notable cases
The most complete records: account of the sighting, conclusion of the official investigation.
- UnexplainedJune 24, 2001
La Fare-les-Oliviers
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
GEIPAN (CNES)
- UnexplainedSeptember 27, 1998
Martigues
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
GEIPAN (CNES)
- UnexplainedApril 26, 1978
Fontvieille
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedApril 1, 2026
Vitrolles
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
→ Planets
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedNovember 9, 2024
Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
→ Ground lights and lasers
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedFebruary 16, 2023
Meyreuil
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
→ Balloons
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedDecember 14, 2022
Marseille
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
→ Birds, insects, nature
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedAugust 21, 2022
Carry-le-Rouet
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
→ Birds, insects, nature
GEIPAN (CNES)
- ExplainedJuly 28, 2022
Sénas
Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
→ Space station (ISS)
GEIPAN (CNES)
Other departments in the region
Identified causes
For cases explained with certainty or probably.
All sightings
| Date | Place | Status | Identified cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2026 | Vitrolles · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Planets |
| November 9, 2024 | Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Ground lights and lasers |
| February 16, 2023 | Meyreuil · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Balloons |
| December 14, 2022 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Birds, insects, nature |
| August 21, 2022 | Carry-le-Rouet · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Birds, insects, nature |
| July 28, 2022 | Sénas · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Space station (ISS) |
| October 16, 2021 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Balloons |
| September 4, 2021 | Orgon · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Balloons |
| September 4, 2021 | Paradou · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Ground lights and lasers |
| August 13, 2021 | Martigues · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Stars |
| July 22, 2021 | Lambesc · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Aircraft |
| August 28, 2020 | Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Ground lights and lasers |
| December 2, 2018 | Martigues · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| August 7, 2018 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Planets |
| March 31, 2018 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Planets |
| August 25, 2016 | Arles · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Balloons |
| August 2, 2016 | Les Pennes-Mirabeau · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| December 19, 2015 | Lançon-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| October 24, 2015 | Eygalières · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| August 6, 2015 | Salon-de-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| July 16, 2015 | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| July 3, 2015 | Lançon-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Aircraft |
| June 5, 2015 | Aurons · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| February 10, 2015 | La Bouilladisse · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Aircraft |
| October 26, 2014 | Le Rove · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Birds, insects, nature |
| September 12, 2014 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Aircraft |
| September 12, 2014 | Sausset-les-Pins · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | |
| August 31, 2014 | Ceyreste · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Satellites |
| August 5, 2014 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Fireworks and flares |
| July 17, 2014 | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Satellites |
| July 5, 2014 | Aix-en-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| March 21, 2014 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| February 22, 2014 | Mallemort · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Meteors and fireballs |
| April 13, 2013 | Gardanne · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| March 31, 2013 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Sky lanterns |
| October 28, 2012 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Aircraft |
| August 11, 2012 | Arles · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Aircraft |
| August 7, 2012 | Istres · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Space station (ISS) |
| June 14, 2011 | Peynier · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| July 15, 2010 | Aix-en-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Planets |
| September 2009 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Reflections and photo artefacts |
| June 18, 2009 | Orgon · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| June 12, 2009 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| March 30, 2009 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Meteors and fireballs |
| February 4, 2009 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Moon |
| January 25, 2009 | Istres · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Planets |
| January 11, 2009 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Reflections and photo artefacts |
| May 21, 2008 | Gémenos · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Space station (ISS) |
| November 2, 2007 | Fos-sur-Mer · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| August 30, 2007 | Aix-en-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| January 10, 2005 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| October 26, 2004 | Lançon-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| October 5, 2004 | Aix-en-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| July 4, 2001 | Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| June 24, 2001 | La Fare-les-Oliviers · Bouches-du-Rhône | Unexplained | |
| September 10, 2000 | Mallemort · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| September 27, 1998 | Martigues · Bouches-du-Rhône | Unexplained | |
| February 13, 1997 | Châteauneuf-les-Martigues · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Ground lights and lasers |
| August 31, 1996 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| August 17, 1994 | Fuveau · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| July 31, 1994 | Allauch · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Balloons |
| July 31, 1994 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | |
| July 29, 1994 | Martigues · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| April 1994 | Tarascon · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| October 21, 1993 | Fos-sur-Mer · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| 1993 | Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| October 11, 1992 | Septèmes-les-Vallons · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | |
| August 1991 | Saint-Martin-de-Crau · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| September 16, 1985 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| January 26, 1983 | Lambesc · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Meteors and fireballs |
| April 21, 1982 | La Ciotat · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Aircraft |
| January 14, 1982 | Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| January 12, 1982 | Martigues · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| November 1, 1981 | Marseille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | |
| January 19, 1981 | Vitrolles · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | |
| September 15, 1980 | Martigues · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| August 24, 1980 | Saint-Martin-de-Crau · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| March 23, 1980 | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Explained | Ground lights and lasers |
| March 17, 1980 | Aix-en-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| February 17, 1980 | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | Aircraft |
| June 30, 1979 | Salon-de-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| January 11, 1979 | Aix-en-Provence · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| December 1978 | Fontvieille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| April 26, 1978 | Fontvieille · Bouches-du-Rhône | Unexplained | |
| October 9, 1977 | Cassis · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| September 23, 1977 | Istres · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data | |
| November 4, 1976 | Cassis-Carnoux · Bouches-du-Rhône | Probably explained | |
| February 5, 1976 | Châteaurenard · Bouches-du-Rhône | Insufficient data |
The figures on this page are computed from the official records cited on each case. See sources and method