Optical Reflections in UFO Photos

Summary

In June 2011, a witness from France submitted a series of photographs to GEIPAN showing strange objects. No observation was made during the image capture, but the witness repeated the experiment the next day with the same results. The investigation revealed that the phenomena were actually optical reflections caused by lighting and exposure conditions. These effects, known as caustics, appear when there is a strong contrast between a dark landscape and bright light sources. Long exposures (23 to 35 seconds) and the camera's optical configuration favored these reflections. Despite the eerie appearance, the image quality allowed GEIPAN to classify the case as a technical phenomenon, not supernatural.