[A8] DE CANNET (LE) (06) VERS NICE (06) 24.07.2024

The witness was travelling in the early morning on the A8 motorway towards Nice, with his wife driving and their children in the back. At Antibes (06), he observed on his left, north-west and through the driver's side glass, a UAP of elongated shape and orange red colour, reflecting the sunlight. The phenomenon appeared from a white cloud mass, descended rapidly and vertically and disappeared behind a rock formation. The witness assessed the apparent length of the UAP at about 4 cm, using a graduated ruler held at arm’s length. The observation lasted between 5 and 7 seconds. No other family member saw the phenomenon, the wife being concentrated on driving and children sleeping in the rear. The evidential quality* of this case is medium, with only one witness, a lack of photo or video of the UAP and non-optimal observation conditions. *According to the GEIPAN criteria, evidential quality is the amount of information collected for an account that is considered reliable and objectively established. The investigation examined the hypothesis that the phenomenon could correspond to an isolated cloud, located at an altitude below others and reflecting the light of the rising Sun (see the investigation report). This hypothesis is based on the following: - The observed elongated shape is compatible with that of a cloud. - The colour corresponds to that of the rising Sun, which was about 7° elevation at the time of observation, during the golden hour around sunrise or sunset, characterized by orange light. - The presence of an isolated cloud is plausible, as the weather expert of GEIPAN points out: "The hypothesis of an isolated cloud reflecting the orange light of the rising Sun seems credible. Depending on the Sun - orange cloud axis, the clouds above appear bright, while those below appear dark." The other clouds observed, of white colour, are therefore at a higher altitude. - Vertical displacement, perceived as "quite rapid", could have been the result of the terrain gradually rising within the line of sight. Along the A8 motorway, in the probable observation zone, reliefs on the left could have created the illusion that the cloud was descending. The investigation also showed that the apparent altitude of the UAP was probably low, which promotes the observation of a vertical displacement illusion, with the phenomenon and landscape elements visually close. This may also explain why terrain continued to obscure it after the rock formation first blocked the view, so the witness did not see it again. The GEIPAN classifies this case as "B": likely observation of an isolated cloud colored by the rising Sun.