Sighting in Artigues-près-Bordeaux, January 25, 2025

At 2:00 p.m., two witnesses saw a black sphere with a metallic look. It moved slowly in a straight line from west to east, staying at a constant elevation of 45° above the horizon. After about ten seconds, a building hid it and the witnesses lost sight of it. There is no photo or video, and only one of the two witnesses reported the sighting to the GEIPAN. The GEIPAN therefore rated the case's consistency as medium. Its strangeness was rated low, mostly because of the metallic appearance.

The investigation favored a novelty balloon of the Mylar type, with an aluminized envelope, carried by the wind. Several points support this: the round shape, which is typical for such a balloon; the black, metallic-looking color, characteristic of Mylar; the straight path in the direction of the wind, west to east; and the slow speed, consistent with the wind and the distance traveled.

Some uncertainty remains about the date or time the witnesses gave. Weather records for that time slot show total cloud cover and precipitation over Bordeaux, which fits poorly with the viewing conditions described. The GEIPAN classified the case as B, a probable Mylar balloon.