[D109] DE CHEMILLA (39) VERS SAINT-JULIEN-SUR-SURAN (39) 19.12.1977

On 19 December 1977 at about 02:00, a driver traveling on the D109 from Chemilla (39) toward Saint-Julien-sur-Suran (39) saw a whitish luminous phenomenon in the sky. It resembled a ball with a flat upper part and seemed stationary above a valley. He drove toward it and then perceived it moving west at a moderate speed. He followed it for about 30 minutes without catching up. The gendarmerie collected no other account. Formerly named Arinthod (39), this case had been classified C for insufficient information and was subsequently re-examined; see the investigation notes. GEIPAN considers the evidence fairly substantial: 1 witness, accompanied by a dog that reacted to the phenomenon, and a fairly precise description. The witness's sincerity and credibility were never questioned. The reported duration, shape, size and color share many features with the setting Moon. The Moon was in the relevant part of the sky but was not separately mentioned. GEIPAN attributes the misidentification to the witness's interpretation under conditions of fatigue and nighttime driving, rather than to a problem with his visual perception. Under the classification used in the source's reassessment, GEIPAN assigns this moderately unusual case to A: misidentification of the gibbous Moon.