An account in Alpes-Maritimes, France

On Monday, May 20, 2013 at approximately 4:05 PM, a person lying on the beach in Menton is intrigued by a phenomenon observed offshore above the sea. The witness sees a white object at the center of a translucent concentric halo in the clear sky. The phenomenon moves much faster than an airplane from west to east-southeast, and the witness hears no noise. The observation lasts 10 to 15 seconds before the phenomenon disappears into the distance. Only one testimony is collected. The witness observes from the beach in Menton (see map) an elongated white object, surrounded by a perfectly round halo, flying over the sea at a distance he cannot estimate. The witness reports a clear sky, but the local weather (see Météociel report) indicates a partially cloudy sky (hazy sky?). This description suggests an airplane observed in the middle of a luminous halo caused by the reflection of the sun on the fuselage, according to an atmospheric optical phenomenon called the Brocken spectre (see atmospheric optical phenomena), but it is difficult with the available information to confirm this hypothesis. Moreover, the witness estimates that the speed of the phenomenon is not compatible with that of an airplane. Without photographs or cross-referencing with other testimonies or measurements, the GEIPAN classifies this case as "C" due to lack of information.