OFFRANVILLE (76) 23.04.2023

On the evening of 23 April 2023, an Offranville (76) resident, T1, was photographing the clear sky from his garden while looking for an aurora. As clouds formed, he noticed a dark phenomenon in the sky but initially paid little attention. At the same time, his son, T2, saw it from his own home, photographed it and sent the images to his father by phone. Surprised, T1 then photographed it himself. Only 1 account was submitted. GEIPAN assessed the case as very low in strangeness and very well supported, citing 4 witnesses but only 1 account, illustrated by numerous photographs. It defines evidential strength as the quantity of information considered reliable that is collected for an account. The investigation identified the shadow of the church spire projected onto low cloud by a floodlight at the foot of the building; see the investigation report. The shape matched Offranville's twisted spire exactly, particularly the small bells on one side, which corresponded to dark structures visible in a witness photograph. Its stationary position, high angular elevation and the alignment of the floodlight, spire and witness strengthened the explanation. The witness later confirmed the spire identification himself, reporting that he had seen the phenomenon again several times. GEIPAN classified the case A: the church spire's shadow on low cloud produced by lighting at the building's base.