Comines (59) 28.09.1984

Summary

In September 1984, five witnesses in Comines (France) observed a slow-moving orange light in the sky. The light, the size and shape of a rugby ball, split into two oval shapes during the observation, which intrigued the witnesses. Initially classified as an unexplained phenomenon, the GEIPAN re-examined the case using modern tools and accumulated experience. It was concluded that the observed phenomenon was actually the setting Moon, though the witnesses did not recognize it. The confusion was not due to faulty perception, but rather an interpretation influenced by the nighttime setting, surprise, and fatigue. Today, this case is classified as PAN A, meaning an observation attributed to a misinterpretation of a known astronomical object.