Jaunay-Clan 2013, unusual luminous phenomenon

Summary

On July 17, 2013, a witness in Jaunay-Clan observed a stationary, bright white phenomenon in the sky. The object remained visible for one minute, then turned off, briefly turned back on after 30 seconds, and finally disappeared. No other witnesses or photographic evidence were available. The GEIPAN, the French organization responsible for investigating unidentified aerial phenomena, considered several hypotheses. These included the possibility of a planet temporarily hidden by clouds, a sunlight reflection on a satellite, or an airplane seen head-on with landing lights on. However, none of these explanations fully matched the details of the account.

After reviewing astronomical and air traffic data, investigators found no reliable matches. For example, although there were two Iridium satellite flares near the reported time, they occurred in the opposite direction. The airplane hypothesis could not be confirmed due to a lack of flight data in the area. Because of the single witness and absence of additional evidence, the case was classified as "C," meaning no conclusive identification was possible. Nevertheless, the phenomenon remains intriguing due to its unusual behavior.