Sighting in Chessy, March 15, 2013

At 7:38 pm, a witness and their son noticed a round, golden object in the sky. It moved slowly and silently, following a zigzag path. The witness described it as a golden ball drifting along gently. They had the impression that it then shot quickly upward before disappearing.

GEIPAN's investigation compared this description to that of a Thai lantern. The weather record shows a southerly wind, consistent with the start of the sighting. The witness was located north of the Disneyland park, from where the lantern may have been released. The zigzag path can be explained by turbulence generated by the urban environment. The impression of a rapid upward departure came from the burner gradually going out: the drop in brightness was interpreted as the object moving away. The case was classified B: probable sighting of a Thai lantern.