A witness mistakes Mars for a UFO in Marseille

Summary

On the early morning of August 7, 2018, a witness in Marseille observed a fixed luminous phenomenon that left him stunned. Looking through his binoculars, he described a colorful circle with two very bright lights, one red and one yellow. After contacting the gendarmerie, he went to sleep, but upon waking at dawn, the object had disappeared. No other witnesses were reported, suggesting a possible confusion with a celestial object. The witness's detailed drawings helped reconstruct the scene: Mars, very bright, was above the mountains. The witness, as is common, overestimated the object's height in the sky, believing it to be at 45 degrees instead of the actual 20. Saturn, less bright but still noticeable, appeared to his right, explaining the perception of two strong lights. Using binoculars, the witness experienced optical artifacts that further confused him, reinforcing the idea that the observed phenomenon was an astronomical object rather than an unexplained one.

The GEIPAN concluded that the observed phenomenon was simply Mars, with Saturn as the second bright point. The confusion arose from the witness's lack of experience using binoculars, which led to unusual perceptions. Despite the quality of the drawings and the accuracy in location, the report highlights how a simple astronomical observation can be misinterpreted as an unidentified phenomenon. This case is a classic example of how science and psychology combine to solve apparent mysteries.