A bright spot in the Paris sky

Summary

On May 20, 2017, a witness in Paris noticed a bright point in the sky that caught their attention. Looking through binoculars, they described a grey-silver elongated shape that seemed stationary for about 15 seconds. Although initially thinking it might be an airplane, the lack of movement confused them. The GEIPAN concluded it was likely an airplane in a fleeting mirror-like reflection of sunlight. The precise geometry between the sun, the witness, and the plane’s position created a bright spot that appeared motionless from a distance. When viewed through binoculars, the witness noticed details like an elongated shape and a darker area, matching the features of a fuselage and a wing. This kind of misidentification is not uncommon, and the case was classified as an airplane observation.