Mysterious luminous phenomenon over Menton

Summary

On August 15, 2009, an observer in Menton noticed an unusual luminous phenomenon near the star of the Shepherd. The object remained stationary for three minutes before its intensity suddenly decreased. It then ascended vertically for two seconds and disappeared toward the north, over the Mediterranean. Several explanations such as flares, pyrotechnic balloons, planes, or satellites were considered, but none could be confirmed. The case was classified as "C" due to the lack of conclusive information to validate or rule out any of these hypotheses.