Sphere over Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Alsace · France
A conventional explanation is favored by the record but was never formally confirmed.
The report, as filed
Le 22 novembre 1996 vers 06 heures, un témoin observe le passage très rapide d'une boule lumineuse avec une trainée. Le phénomène décrit est probablement une rentrée atmosphérique. [GEIPAN classification B — Rentrée atmosphérique]
Held as-reported from GEIPAN, Centre national d'études spatiales (record GEIPAN 1996-12-01441). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
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France's official UAP office publishes its case base proactively — check its open catalog before filing. Through Aletheca, the house instrument, anyone can commission the request — filed, chased, and published in the open, refusals included. The draft goes over already written: the records sought, and the date window they would live in.
Routed to: GEIPAN / CNES (France) · records window 1996-11-19 → 1996-12-06