The mysterious cloud over Col de Blaux

Summary

On January 20, 2012, a witness and her daughter observed an unusual white cloud over Col de Blaux in the French Hautes-Alpes. The cloud, with a black end that disappeared behind a mountain, sparked curiosity. The witness took photos and thought it might be an object crashing, though no aircraft or noise was seen or heard. The gendarmerie investigated but found no ground traces or other witnesses. Military planes or fires were ruled out. Ultimately, the low and blinding sunlight was considered a likely explanation for the cloud’s color change, with the phenomenon attributed to a distorted aircraft contrail affected by wind shear.