JOUE-LES-TOURS (37) 31.07.2025

On 31 July 2025 at 22:30, a witness saw “a sort of blue light,” very bright and fast-moving, apparently at very high altitude, for a few seconds. A reconstruction photograph confirmed the west-southwest viewing direction. He described initial ascent, a brief stop and a 90° turn before disappearance. GEIPAN assesses both strangeness and evidential quality as medium: 1 witness and no photograph or other evidence of the phenomenon itself to substantiate the account. It considers a fireball entering the atmosphere probable. The point-like shape, possible bluish color, high brightness, very rapid apparent speed and duration of a few seconds fit a fireball. Without other accounts, however, its exact location cannot be determined. FRIPON database checks found multiple detections that evening, particularly around 20:30 UTC, or 22:30 local time, but no direct recording of what this witness might have seen. GEIPAN explains the apparent direction change as an illusion at disappearance, combining a brief retinal afterimage with a slight eye movement. The case is classified B: probable atmospheric entry of a fireball. Under GEIPAN's criteria, evidential quality is the amount of information collected that is considered reliable and objectively established. FRIPON stands for Fireball Recovery and InterPlanetary Observation Network.