ANNEMASSE (74) 08.04.2012

A witness in Annemasse (74) reported observations of a scintillating star-like light on 8 April 2012, first around 22:00, then around 23:30. He filmed the later observation. The reported direction towards the Jura mountains, around azimuth 290°, exactly matches Venus, which he did not mention separately. GEIPAN explains that Venus, particularly conspicuous then, surprises many observers when low on the horizon and is interpreted as something flying above the ground. When the witness saw the same body 1.5 hours earlier, it was higher in the sky and did not seem strange. GEIPAN notes that filming a point of light against black at maximum zoom produces many optical and electronic artefacts. The diamond shape reflects the camera aperture's shape when out of focus. At night, autofocus on many cameras hunts unsuccessfully, alternating blurred and sharp images. Colours come more from electronic noise, interference and optical aberrations, even in good cameras, than from the filmed object. The video therefore provides little information about the object itself. The case is classified A: observation of Venus.