Sighting in Chambéry, July 6, 2015

At about 10:45 pm, under a clear sky, two people watched between fifteen and twenty pinkish-orange points of light cross the night sky. They were lined up and moved silently toward Aix-les-Bains. The sighting lasted roughly ten to fifteen seconds. Only one witness account was collected by GEIPAN.

The investigation found that orange balls crossing the sky in under a minute on a summer night strongly suggest Thai lanterns, most likely released nearby at the end of a private party. The movement from south to north matches the light south wind, 2 to 9 km/h, recorded at Chambéry that day. The witness's estimate of distance could not be accurate, since they had never seen this kind of object. These lanterns give off little light, like a large candle flame, so they appear farther away, bigger and faster than they really are. Their steady course is normal for objects carried by a gentle wind, and because they are often released one after another at regular intervals, they form a very orderly line of lights. The videos the witness mentioned seem to match releases of Thai lanterns.

The case was classified B: probably identified, as a passage of Thai lanterns.