Fixed light over the Atlantic identified as the star Capella

Summary

In January 2001, French and Spanish air traffic controllers observed a fixed, flickering luminous point over the sea near Biarritz. The phenomenon was visible to the naked eye but did not appear on radar. Security protocols were activated and civil and military control centers were contacted without result. A radar echo logged at Torrejón was eventually dismissed. CNES investigated the possibility of a balloon with no findings, and a theodolite measurement in February showed the object was very distant and not an aircraft.

Years later, GEIPAN reviewed the case with updated tools and concluded it was most likely the star Capella, whose intense scintillation under certain atmospheric conditions caused the confusion. The witnesses acted in good faith; the misidentification stemmed from an unusual presentation of a known astronomical object. The case was reclassified as A.