BERTIGNAT (63) 03.07.2014

On 3 July 2014 at about 05:30 in Bertignat (63), several witnesses saw a very bright crescent-like light apparently hovering above a nearby military base. One filmed it. A prolonged observation of a slowly moving point suggests a celestial body. The video shows a light low on the horizon. A map check towards the Pierre-sur-Haute military base gives azimuth about 72°, east-northeast. An astronomical check places very bright Venus there that morning. GEIPAN explains that variable shapes and colours are common when viewing celestial bodies near the horizon because atmospheric turbulence causes scintillation. It considers the light's alignment above the base entirely coincidental, but a reason the witness noticed it and found it strange. Such an alignment can make something seem unusual that would appear ordinary in another context. The case is classified A, fully identified: Venus at sunrise.