Star or planet amplified by binoculars in Saint-André-de-l'Eure in 1989

Summary

On January 15, 1989, a woman and her children went outside to observe the sky with high-powered binoculars after a TV weather broadcast announced good conditions for viewing planets. During the observation, the woman spotted a bright oval-shaped luminous point moving like a caterpillar and flickering constantly. Gendarmes, alerted by the witness, confirmed a luminous point but could not determine its shape precisely. The report concluded it was most likely a very bright star or planet, and that the described effects were caused by high-magnification binoculars, which can create optical illusions when moved.