TROUVILLE-SUR-MER (14) 11.01.2014

The colored trail observed and photographed at Trouville-sur-Mer on 11 January 2014 at 16:50 has, according to GEIPAN, all the characteristics of an aircraft contrail seen in the setting sunlight. The source refers readers to GEIPAN's information on aircraft trails. FlightRadar records show heavy air traffic in the witness's field of view, with several aircraft that could have produced the contrail. Weather records indicate a northerly wind and visibility of 60 km. GEIPAN estimates that the trail was probably 100 or 120 km away, visible because of its altitude of 10, 000 m and especially its illumination by the setting Sun. It suggests that excellent weather and an unfamiliar viewpoint probably made this ordinary phenomenon surprising to the witness. GEIPAN classifies the case as A: an aircraft contrail. The source adds the general statement that comets are visible only at night because their tails are faint; this is reproduced as the source's explanatory claim.