SAINT-GERMAIN-SUR-ILLE (35) 17.07.2013

On 17 July 2013 at about 23:45 in Saint-Germain-sur-Ille (35), a witness saw a ball of fire with a trail descend obliquely. Lasting 2–3 seconds, it matches a fireball caused by a meteoroid entering the atmosphere. He saw it to the east, moving north to south. No automated camera recorded it, but GEIPAN received a similar report at nearly the same stated time from Plaisir (78), seen towards southwest-west and moving towards the horizon from 60° to 45° elevation. Reported undulation may have been an autokinetic visual illusion; see the source's reference on the kinetic illusion. GEIPAN notes that fireballs often seem nearby but occur at 100–50 km altitude and are visible across a ground area about 200 km in diameter. The case is classified B: probable fireball.