BARBASTE (47) 08.08.2013

On 8 August 2013, a witness at a holiday camp was observing the sky with a friend. At about 22:30 he saw 2 flashing points of light moving in a straight line. GEIPAN considers the detailed account strongly suggestive of satellites. CalSky provided 2 possibilities. The ISS passed at 22:27, but it is much brighter than stars and does not readily explain 2 lights. It also passed south of Polaris, whereas the witness placed the objects north of it. The military satellites NOSS 2-1B and 1C passed at 22:37. They were fainter but could reflect sunlight irregularly, producing the reported effect, and their path closely matched. GEIPAN retains this explanation despite the 7-minute timing difference.