[D110] DE BRAUX (04) VERS ANNOT (04) 01.12.1979

On 1 December 1979 at about 19:35, a butcher was returning from a day at the market in Braux (04). Driving his van along a winding section of the D110 toward Annot, as identified in the case title, he suddenly saw a large, very bright ball appear to his left. Its color changed from white to red, then from orange to yellow. He reported a shrill beeping sound from it. Very frightened, he accelerated, but the phenomenon seemed to follow him for about 2 km while he drove at approximately 70–80 km/h, then disappeared abruptly. The gendarmerie collected no other account. Initially classified D, an unexplained observation, this case received French media attention at the time (the source suggests searching 'OVNI ANNOT'). The present conclusion follows a new investigation using modern digital tools and an on-site reconstruction at a corresponding point in the Saros cycle. The source describes this as a date when the Moon, Sun and Earth return to exactly their positions on the observation day (see the investigation report). The witness mentioned a full Moon at the start of the journey but, paradoxically, not afterward, although it should have appeared very bright at several points precisely in the presumed UAP's direction. Preliminary remote analysis with digital tools was largely confirmed by an on-site reconstruction under highly similar conditions, using the Saros cycle and comparable weather. The investigation concluded that suddenly seeing the Moon had produced a perceptual illusion. Every place where the Moon could be seen corresponded precisely to a location where the witness had described the phenomenon to the gendarmes. The UAP's imagined path matched the Moon's apparent path relative to the winding road. Its sudden appearance and disappearance also matched the Moon's visibility to a driver on that road that day. The surprise was reinforced by an intense media backdrop: the Cergy-Pontoise (95) UFO affair was at its height, and the young man allegedly abducted had not yet reappeared. The investigation considers that this probably contributed to strong fear. Alone, far from houses and in difficult viewing conditions, the witness was unable to assess calmly the situation suddenly confronting him. His descriptions closely match those commonly collected in Moon misidentifications, which are frequent. The only unusual features potentially inconsistent with this familiar scenario were the reported sound and an intestinal obstruction in the following days. No evidence supports the sound's objective reality. The investigation considers the medical episode probably related to stress from the sighting acting on a preexisting condition, noting two similar previous episodes. GEIPAN therefore classifies the case A: observation of the Moon.