Yellow light at Hayes identified as Venus

Summary

In August 1993 a witness at Hayes, Moselle, saw a yellow luminous ball larger than a star, shaped like a disc topped by a dome, drifting slowly northeast and dimming over time. A second witness confirmed a fixed light in the starry sky. Originally classified D, GEIPAN reviewed the case and reclassified it as A after finding that the position and direction matched Venus, which was rising in the northeast at the time. The planet's low altitude and possible atmospheric turbulence would explain the perceived movement and unusual shape.