Red cylinder in the sky over Emerainville

Summary

On August 4, 2017, a witness in Emerainville (France) observed a cylindrical object in the sky at the typical cruising altitude of commercial aircraft. Using binoculars, they described a vertical cylinder with a reddish-orange top and a white bottom. The object remained fixed in the sky until a cloud covered it. Two planes passed nearby, one from west to east and another from southeast to northwest. After the cloud dissipated, the object was gone. The witness initially thought it was a drone, though its altitude seemed too high. No other witnesses were reported. The strangeness of the case lay in the object's stillness, its shape, and its sudden disappearance. However, investigators considered it could be an airplane viewed from a specific angle. Sunlight reflections on curved surfaces can create the illusion of unusual shapes. Additionally, the witness lives in an area with heavy air traffic and had previously reported similar experiences. Since nothing truly anomalous was found, the case was classified as "Airplane".