Saint-Usuge, reddish light over the Seille explained as the Moon

Summary

In the early hours of 7 April 1980, two people driving near Saint-Usuge spotted a very low reddish light that seemed to follow the course of the River Seille in a series of jumps. The sphere eventually stopped beside the road, causing the driver to panic, reverse, and turn around. When an oncoming vehicle passed, they watched the sphere rise quickly and disappear.

GEIPAN re-examined the case, originally classified as C, and concluded it was the Moon rising on the horizon. The perceived movement and altitude changes were attributed to common optical illusions experienced when observing a celestial body from a moving vehicle, compounded by the witnesses' stress and nighttime fatigue.