VILLAUTOU (11) 24.10.2021

On Sunday 24 October 2021 at 07:00, a witness on the terrace of a village house in Villautou (11), on the Aude–Ariège boundary, saw a faint luminous point approaching very slowly along a straight path. Initially thinking it was a satellite, he then distinguished several lights and went to fetch his spectacles. On returning, he saw a black triangle with 3 white, slightly yellowish lights at its corners. At about 75° elevation, it appeared to pivot and turn towards the north-east. The sighting lasted about 1 minute. After an initial remote investigation, a cognitive interview allowed the technical observing parameters to be reconstructed precisely (see the investigation report). GEIPAN assesses the evidential strength—the quantity of reliable information—as good, with complete usable data and a cognitive interview. The air-traffic radar plot rules out an aircraft. GEIPAN examined the International Space Station (ISS) hypothesis in detail. Several perceived unusual features can be explained, though some initially seem inconsistent with the ISS. Its positions and movements agree relatively well with the observed object in space and time. The initial azimuth difference of about 30° gradually narrows to about 10° at the highest point of the pass, and both final paths converge towards azimuth 55°. Approximation in the witness’s reconstruction of the initial position could explain the initial discrepancy; 30° is not disqualifying. A small timing discrepancy of a few seconds or about 1 minute is likewise not sufficient to rule it out. GEIPAN attributes the perceived turn to a change in perspective after the station’s highest point, supported by the mutually consistent final directions. The initial slow-moving white point on a straight path has all the ISS’s characteristics. The main unusual features appeared after the witness retrieved his glasses: the triangular shape, apparent size and 3 lights. GEIPAN identifies 2 possible factors behind the clearly perceived dark triangle. Its small apparent size, 1°, prevents clear resolution. Dawn conditions during the night-to-day transition reduce colour perception and visual acuity, corresponding to mesopic vision; short-sighted people are further hampered by their reduced acuity. The witness estimated the apparent size as 15 mm on a ruler held at arm’s length, whereas the ISS appears point-like from the ground. GEIPAN notes that some witnesses overestimate its apparent size because its brightness creates an impression of large dimensions. The 3 identical, unchanged white-yellow lights remain difficult to explain. No supply spacecraft was near the ISS at the time. Some eye conditions cause double vision, but triple vision is unlikely. GEIPAN does not consider this unresolved point sufficient to invalidate the hypothesis given the corroborating evidence. A similar 2018 case involved multiple perceived lights during a confirmed ISS sighting without a satisfactory explanation: MOULEZAN (30) 26.12.2018. Finally, if the object had not been the ISS, GEIPAN considers it unlikely that the witness would have failed to mention another nearby luminous point corresponding to the station. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of the ISS.