Luminous spheres during a storm near Mont Ventoux

Summary

On the night of September 20-21, 1980, several military witnesses in the Vaucluse region repeatedly observed luminous spheres with shifting trajectories that appeared and disappeared unexpectedly. The sky was heavily overcast and a strong storm was underway.

Although the official investigation did not categorically confirm it, the flashes are plausibly explained as car headlight reflections off low clouds. A motor race was taking place that same night on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, and the circuit's topography would account for the varying trajectories and intermittent appearances of the lights.