CLAYES-SOUS-BOIS (LES) (78) 02.01.2012

On 2 January 2012 from 16:30, a witness in Les Clayes-sous-Bois (78) observed a stationary triangular object with scintillating red and yellow lights that sometimes seemed to rotate. He alerted the air-navigation service at Chavenay, which also noticed the phenomenon. The observation lasted 3 hours. No other account was collected. When GEIPAN called the service, its contact confirmed seeing a very bright point. A quick analysis suggested that this could have been Venus, and possibly not the object the original witness reported. Jupiter was also near the Moon that evening; see the star chart. GEIPAN notes that Venus's low elevation allows scintillation to produce large colour changes. Contacted again, the witness said he had identified Venus separately. The object was near its direction but stayed fixed for 2 hours. He did not give a precise direction or elevation. The reported direction was towards the Château de Plaisir, Les Saussaies, where an illuminated tethered balloon could have produced the same appearance; GEIPAN could not verify that hypothesis. Because of imprecise viewing direction, low strangeness from an object stationary for 2 hours, no photographs despite the long duration and no further accounts, GEIPAN classifies the case C: insufficient information.