NOVALAISE (73) 17.08.2024

On 17 August 2024, T1 and his partner in Novalaise (73) had recently gone to bed in darkness with only the television on. Around 23:10 they saw a UAP through the window under an overcast sky with light rain. T1 described a silent luminous disc dividing into rectangles that swept the sky regularly and repeatedly. It moved rapidly and was white, brighter than the Moon. After 2–3 minutes and westward movement it disappeared. T1 estimated elevation at 45–50° and angular travel across 40–50° of sky. GEIPAN assesses the evidence as good: only 1 questionnaire from the 2 witnesses, but an analysable video (see the investigation report). Its criterion concerns the quantity of reliable, objectively supported information collected for an account. A skytracer, a searchlight or laser directed skywards, is considered probable. Its overall round shape is common. The individual shapes look round on video despite T1’s rectangular description, perhaps influenced by perspective. White colour, silence, regular repeated automatic sweeps and changing, sometimes very fast sweep speed all fit. A summer Saturday suits festive skytracer use. The investigation did not identify its operator, who could have been a private individual or a more distant shopping centre. T1 considered but rejected the hypothesis because he saw no beam. Rain might normally make one visible, but GEIPAN considers his elevation estimate probably too high: the UAP was low near landscape features such as trees that could obscure the beam. Unknown distance and light output might also explain its invisibility. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable skytracer observation.