Meaux 1978, Venus mistaken for a UFO

Summary

On December 19, 1978, a witness in Meaux observed a bright point in the sky from his balcony that he could not identify. The object, which moved gently, disappeared around 9:45 AM, likely hidden by the sun. Gendarmes also confirmed the presence of a bright point in the same direction, at about 35 degrees elevation. Interestingly, the previous day in Paris, other witnesses had reported a very bright object in the sky, prompting a police investigation that concluded it was an astronomical phenomenon. Checking celestial maps confirmed that Venus was located between 25 and 30 degrees in the southeast at the time of the observation. The GEIPAN classified the case as "A", meaning a simple misidentification with Venus.