Luminous cross and Sirius scintillation

Summary

On March 3, 2013, a driver in Cher observed a luminous figure resembling a white cross among the stars. Later, he noticed a phenomenon that changed color and moved randomly. The observation lasted about an hour and a half. The gendarmes arrived at the location, confirmed, and filmed the oscillations of the object. The testimony and video describe a generally fixed luminous point with color changes and slight movements. The star Sirius, located near the observer's direction, was very low on the horizon, which could explain a strong scintillation. The weather conditions, with a falling atmospheric pressure and strong winds at altitude, favored this optical phenomenon. Additionally, the low temperature and the presence of ice crystals in the air could have caused optical effects such as halos or crosses. The GEIPAN classified the case as "A", attributing it to an observation of Sirius with intense scintillation caused by exceptional weather conditions.