An account in Haute-Garonne, France

On January 4, 2015 at 7:45 PM, a witness, a passenger on a scheduled flight, observed a luminous phenomenon moving on the ground at the same speed as the aircraft. Other passengers, when asked, observed the phenomenon. At the time of the observation, the aircraft was located just before the outskirts of Paris. The witness stated by phone that the phenomenon was located to the left of the aircraft, at an estimated angle of between 50° and 70° relative to the vertical of the aircraft. Relative to the aircraft, the phenomenon was located in front or behind, sometimes forcing the witness to turn his head backward. It is noted that the Moon, full at 99.6%, was located due East at 90.8° at an elevation of 23.26°: it was in the witness's field of vision. However, he does not mention it, probably because his gaze was focused toward the ground. Since the phenomenon seemed to follow the aircraft, the hypothesis of an optical phenomenon involving a celestial body was immediately favored. The specular reflection of the Moon on lakes and flooded areas is very likely the origin of the phenomenon, highlighting wet or flooded zones against the blackness of the ground. The filaments described by the witness are probably flooded paths or small canals. Weather records indicate rain in the northern half of France on February 2 and 3. It is noted that the angle of 50° to 70° indicated by the witness is compatible with this hypothesis: it should ideally be the complement of 23°, that is, 67°. The front/back variability of the phenomenon comes from changes in the aircraft's heading: the phenomenon always appears due East; if the aircraft flies due South, the witness sees it exactly to the left of the aircraft; if the aircraft flies Southeast, the phenomenon then appears to the front left of the aircraft. GEIPAN does not have the necessary information to precisely correlate the aircraft's route with the apparent position of the phenomenon. GEIPAN classifies this case as "B": very likely observation of reflections of the Moon on bodies of water and flooded areas.