Venus mistaken for a UFO in Reims

Summary

On February 5, 1977, two people in Reims observed a motionless luminous ball in the western sky. It made no sound and remained visible for over an hour before fading. The description matched Venus, which was particularly bright in that part of the sky that evening. The error was one of interpretation rather than perception, likely influenced by fatigue and darkness. GEIPAN classified the case as category A, attributing it to confusion with a known astronomical object.