FRAMBOUHANS (25) 17.07.2022

The case title dates this Frambouhans sighting to 17 July 2022, but the narrative says 16 July at 01:45. A witness attending a music festival in a rural field saw a white star-like point moving steadily in a straight line for a few minutes. It began northwest and continued east or northeast, covering an estimated 90–100° of sky at 45–60° elevation before leaving his field of view. The case has moderate evidential strength*, with one formal account and copies of two photographs, still usable for analysis. *Under GEIPAN's criteria, evidential strength is the amount of information collected for an account that is considered reliable and objectively substantiated. The investigation identified the ISS (see investigation report). Its point-like shape, white color, straight path and northwest-to-east/northeast movement closely fit the station's west-northwest-to-east passage. The initial and final elevations were of the reported order. The stated 01:45 time corresponds to the beginning of ISS visibility, slightly offset from its passage at the reported elevation. A few minutes of observation fits a total visible passage of 6 minutes 35 seconds. The witness initially thought of a satellite, but found the photographed appearance strange. Image analysis showed that distorted shapes and colors were ordinary motion-blur and defocus artifacts under the recording conditions. GEIPAN classifies the case A: observation of the ISS and photographic artifacts.