Sighting in Bailleul, January 1, 2016

Shortly after midnight, a driver and their passenger watched an object slowly cross the sky at low altitude. It was diamond-shaped and yellow-orange, and it moved from south to north without making any noise. Two similar objects followed soon after. Fireworks were going off at the same time. The witness later said the objects turned to run alongside the road, moving slowly in the direction of travel, though all of this was seen from a moving car while driving. No other witness account was collected.

GEIPAN considered that orange objects in the sky on a festive night such as New Year's Eve strongly suggest Thai lanterns, most likely released nearby at the end of a private party. Data from the Armentières weather station, 3 km away, showed a light wind at that hour, but one blowing distinctly from south to north, which fits objects crossing the road at an angle. The impression of following the road does not rule out a path with a strong crosswise component, especially as the observer was driving. The wind records also showed highly unstable directions. The case was therefore classified B: probable observation of Thai lanterns.