Sighting in Douai, February 2, 2014
Nord, Hauts-de-France, France
Sighting on February 2, 2014 in Douai (Nord, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a sky lantern (class B).
What happened
At 6:30 p.m., two people watched several orange lights drift slowly and silently across the sky. Only one witness account was submitted to the GEIPAN. The witnesses described orange balls moving gently along.
According to the investigation, the balls were travelling in the same direction as the wind, a southerly of 11 to 19 km/h recorded at Lille. The sighting took place on a weekend evening, which strongly suggests Chinese-style Thai lanterns, the flying paper lamps. The witness rejected that explanation. However, the description fits it completely, and lantern releases are very common. The GEIPAN therefore classified the case as B: a probable sighting of Thai lanterns.
The investigation also noted that the date was Candlemas, traditionally celebrated with torches or candles. A quick internet search did not turn up whoever released the lanterns.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- February 2, 2014
- Location
- Douai · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Sky lanterns
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2014-02-08667
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.