Aix-en-Provence 2007, a bright object in the sky

Summary

On August 30, 2007, a witness in Aix-en-Provence noticed a bright point in the sky that caught his attention. Filming it with his camcorder, he observed the light intensity decrease and a dark spot moving. Curious, he changed rooms, zoomed in, and saw four black squares surrounding the bright point. The observation lasted less than 25 seconds. The GEIPAN concluded the phenomenon was likely sunlight reflecting off a flying object. The video showed artifacts from the sensor and compression, not real objects. Although the wind was strong, the object's movement didn't match the wind direction, making it unlikely it was carried by the air. An airplane or helicopter could have acted as a mirror to the low sun, whose brightness near the horizon made identification difficult. The strong wind may have masked the craft's noise.

The case was classified as "C" due to lack of information and corroboration. Despite the apparent strangeness, investigators couldn't confirm any specific hypothesis. The single testimony and recording didn't provide enough evidence for a definitive conclusion. The investigation was conducted too late to allow confirmation. In summary, what seemed like an unexplained event was reduced to sunlight reflecting off a conventional object, though viewed from unusual angles.