Sighting in Francheville, May 18, 2013
Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Sighting on May 18, 2013 in Francheville (Rhône, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a sky lantern (class B).
What happened
At around 10 p.m., from the first floor of their home, the witness saw a luminous disc moving slowly. It appeared about the size of half a globe-shaped street lamp and was seen from above. It then suddenly moved away and disappeared.
The witness was looking north. The Meteociel record showed a southerly wind, so the movements may have come from turbulence in a street sheltered from the wind. The long Pentecost weekend had brought many parties, at which Thai lanterns could have been released.
According to the GEIPAN, the apparent size pointed to a fairly small object carried by the wind, and the disc shape matched that of a cylinder seen from above. The case was classified B: most likely a Thai lantern viewed from above.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- May 18, 2013
- Location
- Francheville · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Sky lanterns
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2013-05-08463
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.