A video of a Louperivoise went viral early in the evening of this November 21st. Images taken on Lafontaine Street in Rivière-du-Loup show a linear trail in the sky. The object preceding it is not visible, which quickly sparked all sorts of theories from internet users.
Satellite, meteorite, debris, rocket, distress signal. Almost 200 guesses followed in the publication, which saw the citizen of Rivière-du-Loup shared more than 400 times. Other people reported observing this phenomenon particularly in Listuguj, an Indian reserve in the south of Gaspésie and in L’Isle-Verte.
Netizens also pointed out that it was just a plane. One of them suggested that they had seen it with binoculars, and the other suggested that this strip of sky coincided with the flight of a plane over the region.
Marc-André Paradis, astronomer at the Aster Scientific Interpretation Observatory in Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, confirmed this last hypothesis. “It is simply the flight corridor for aircraft flying through our region,” he testified.
“I recognized that immediately. This must be the seventh time the observatory has been contacted with this type of photos and videos,” shares Mr. Paradis. He explains that hot gases and water vapor are escaping from the aircraft.
At this altitude the air is significantly colder. This causes the water vapor to condense upon contact and a cloud line is created. “It’s strange because we don’t see any object in front of this vapor trail that’s moving, that’s growing, that’s elongating, but there’s definitely an airplane. It is completely artificial and human,” claims Marc-André Paradis.
Despite the quality of the video, he managed to distinguish two vapor trails, meaning the aircraft in question was equipped with at least two jet engines. Mr. Paradis also points out that there is an air corridor directly over the region to Quebec and Montreal.
He took the opportunity to say that if a meteorite had entered the atmosphere, a trace of moisture could also have been visible, but at that altitude an explosion sound would have been heard.
“It’s like a setback because the meteor is moving much faster than the speed of sound and shatters it,” he concludes.
So, despite the mysterious aspect of the video, no unusual natural phenomenon occurred. But the residents of Lower Laurentian will not be left out either, because in just over four months, on April 8, 2024 to be precise, they will witness a total solar eclipse that will be 97% visible in the region.