An account in Haut-Rhin, France

On August 20, 2012 between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., two witnesses observe in the sky the silent N-S passage of a very bright orange object. From the object seen through binoculars, the witnesses distinguish a halo and a slight trail. The observation lasted less than a minute before the object's brightness faded and it was hidden by a neighboring house. Only one witness reports the observation to us. The wind recorded at Basel was blowing lightly from the south to west sector, which rules out an object carried by the wind (e.g., a Thai lantern). The duration of the observation (one minute), the trail seen through binoculars, the drop in brightness, and the shift toward white are consistent with the observation of a fall of satellite debris. The Space-Track site mentions 3 debris falls that day, but the orbits do not match the observation. Estimating the distance of this kind of phenomenon is impossible for a witness. Given the precision of the testimony, despite the absence of proof, GEIPAN classifies this case as slightly unusual "B": probable observation of atmospheric reentry: natural meteoroid or, more likely, satellite debris.