CUSSEY-SUR-L'OGNON FEBRUARY 17TH 1980

Summary

On February 17, 1980, at around 8:45 PM, a witness noticed a very bright point in the sky that caught their attention. This round point was fixed, larger, and more yellowish than other stars. The witness observed it for more than 10 minutes without it appearing to move. The gendarmerie could not find any other witnesses to confirm the observation, but local press reported that others in the area had made the same sighting. After checking the sky with maps, it was found that Venus was particularly visible at that time of year (magnitude -4.01). However, the estimated altitude of Venus above the horizon was 8°, while the witness reported 20°. Although there could be an error in the altitude estimation, the most likely hypothesis is that the witness observed Venus. In fact, many similar cases were reported during that period.