VITROLLES (13) 01.04.2026

On 1 April 2026, between 21:00 and 21:27, a witness in his apartment in Vitrolles (13) observed a light that appeared slightly larger than a star and brighter than ordinary aircraft lights. Its color changed from pure white to orange. Unlike aircraft lights, it appeared completely stationary, although intermittent observations revealed that it was descending toward the horizon. Only 1 account was collected. GEIPAN considers the case only slightly unusual, with a good evidential basis: a single witness provided a complete questionnaire and usable videos and photographs. Under GEIPAN's criteria, evidential consistency means the amount of reliable, objectively supported information collected for an account. Its investigation identifies a misidentification of Venus. A reconstruction of the sky at the time using Stellarium.fr, reproduced in an appendix, shows Venus at the azimuths supplied by the witness, approaching its setting below the horizon during the observation interval. The video allows the witness's estimated elevation to be revised downward, in agreement with the sky reconstruction. The photographs show an orange color. GEIPAN attributes the reddening to Venus's progressively lower position above the horizon, its light passing through an increasingly thick, dense atmospheric path relative to the observer as it descended. In a later email, the witness himself suggested that he had mistaken Venus for something else. GEIPAN classifies the case A: observation of Venus.