Luminous fireball over Saint-Claude

Summary

Around midnight on June 13, 1977, several drivers in the Jura region experienced a striking moment: the road lit up as if it were daytime for a few seconds. They saw a luminous ball with a trail moving from west to east, shedding sparks before disappearing behind the landscape. Other witnesses nearby reported an explosion or sudden flash. The gendarmerie found no traces of a fall at the site.

It was concluded that the phenomenon was most likely a natural object entering the atmosphere, consistent with a fireball or meteorite. GEIPAN classified the case as category B, identified after analysis. The description—ball with trail, sparks, brief illumination of the surroundings—is typical of such events.