Moon confusion in Saint-Denis, Réunion

Summary

On June 7, 1981, two witnesses observed a motionless luminous object over the sea off Saint-Denis, Réunion, while a crescent shape above it appeared to change size. The observation lasted eight minutes. At the time, GEPAN classified it as a C case, but a later review using modern tools and accumulated experience concluded the phenomenon was simply the Moon rising on the horizon. Shape, color, and duration matched a lunar rise. The case was reclassified as PAN A: confusion with a known astronomical object.