Atmospheric entry of a bolide over south-eastern France, 1980

Summary

Around 6:30 p.m. on 11 November 1980, hundreds of people across south-eastern France and Corsica witnessed a very bright luminous phenomenon crossing the sky. The gendarmerie collected numerous testimonies, and sightings were also reported in Italy and Spain.

Accounts varied in perceived colour, shape and direction, yet they all agreed on timing and described a split into three fragments — differences explained by each observer's vantage point. Astronomers in Nice and Genoa confirmed the object was a natural meteorite whose high speed and altitude made it visible over great distances. GEIPAN classified the case as A.