Venus identified as the cause of a sighting in Canet-en-Roussillon

Summary

Between 5:30 and 6:30 AM on September 26, 1983, several witnesses in Canet-en-Roussillon observed a very bright object in the sky. To the naked eye it looked like a star, but through binoculars they noted a yellow corona around a light-gray crater. Astronomical charts confirmed it was Venus—its position and movement matched predictions for that date and time exactly. GEIPAN classified the case as A.

It is a textbook example of confusion with an astronomical object. The witnesses' detailed description, though initially suggesting something unusual, proved entirely consistent with Venus's appearance when viewed through magnifying optics under early-morning conditions.