Confusion with the setting Moon at Les Sables-d'Olonne in 1980

Summary

In the early hours of February 24, 1980, a group of young people in Les Sables-d'Olonne saw an orange light moving through the pine trees toward the Île d'Yeu. The nearly spherical object drifted slowly and silently. They watched it for about ten minutes until it appeared to sink gently into the ocean, leaving a whitish glow. A patrolling gendarme also sighted it minutes earlier, describing an object larger than a quarter moon. The Moon was setting at exactly 3:12 AM, in its first quarter with an inverted crescent shape, which explained the apparent color and size. Nevertheless, the object did not display the brightness or behavior typical of a conventional astronomical phenomenon.