Orange light with abrupt direction changes attributed to Sirius in Caudan in 1981

Summary

In December 1981, a family in Caudan watched for ten minutes a round orange luminous object moving at high speed with straight trajectories and abrupt direction changes. GEIPAN concluded it was likely Sirius, which at that time sat low on the southeast horizon. Clear skies with some low clouds could have created an optical illusion, and the flashes and movements described are consistent with ocular micro-movements common when watching bright objects at night. Clouds may have momentarily hidden the star, producing the impression of movement. A second phenomenon was briefly observed but lacked sufficient data for an explanation. The probability that the main sighting was Sirius was estimated at over fifty percent.