THIEULIN (LE) (28) 21.03.2022

A witness gave a gendarmerie statement about a sighting from home in Le Thieulin (28) on 21 March 2022 at 23:15. A particularly bright star-like light appeared to make small hopping movements “in all directions.” The witness reported another observation on 23 March at 06:02, in the same direction but higher above the horizon. Investigation identified Sirius in the first sighting and Arcturus in the second (see investigation report). Supporting evidence is: - Star-like brightness, color and appearance, with no substantial real motion; the witness himself compared the UAP with a star. - Both stars were present at the observation times. - Reported initial and final elevations broadly match Stellarium: discrepancies of a few degrees for Sirius and 14° for Arcturus. - Southwest azimuths shown in the sketch attached to the statement match the stars. The witness's strangeness came from: 1. Changing shapes, multiple light points and colors, mainly through binoculars, typical of low-elevation stellar scintillation in atmospheric turbulence. 2. Erratic apparent motion, typical of the autokinetic effect. GEIPAN suggests limited astronomical familiarity prevented recognition, while the stars' similar azimuths at the 2 separate times led the witness to think they were the same phenomenon. Classification A: Sirius in the first observation and Arcturus in the second.