PLOEREN (56) 26.03.2012

Summary

On March 26, 2012, near midnight, a witness in Ploeren (France) observed a luminous object moving in the southern sky from his terrace. Intrigued, he called the gendarmerie, which confirmed the sighting and moved to Baden, where they also observed the phenomenon. Later, from a lighthouse and an air base, flickering lights were reported. Despite multiple observations, the data was imprecise. Witnesses described features similar to very bright stars near the horizon, such as color changes and apparent movements. The GEIPAN concluded that the sightings likely involved Sirius, Procyon, and/or Betelgeuse, stars that may have been temporarily obscured by clouds following an afternoon rain.