Pilot witness in Corr�ze, France

On May 22, 2010 at 1:54 PM, a person takes photos of a child. He notices afterwards on one of the photographs the presence of a strange object not noticed at the time the photo was taken. The witness filed a report with the gendarmerie, a report received late by GEIPAN. The gendarmerie's preliminary investigation and the checks done on air traffic and the surrounding area do not allow a conclusion on the nature of the object, which only the witness photographed. Finally, an analysis of the photograph sent by the witness convinced GEIPAN that it is an insect very close to the lens, which is consistent with the shutter speed and the focus on the nearest subject (the child on the motorcycle). To be that blurry under the shooting conditions, the object had to be at a distance less than the hyperfocal distance, therefore well under 1 meter. However, given the camera's characteristics and settings, one verifies that if the object measured 1 cm, it had to be 13 cm from the lens, which is consistent as an order of magnitude with a winged insect. The lighting of this "insect-shaped craft" is moreover consistent with the sun's lighting. This case falls into the category of observations made on one of the many media (photo or film) that reach GEIPAN: without corresponding to a direct visual observation at the time of shooting, the observation is made during the later viewing on a computer screen. The case is classified B as the probable photographing of an insect located very close to the camera.