Sighting in Gagny, August 13, 2012

Just after midnight, a witness looking out of a window saw a glowing red-orange ball pass silently across the sky. It followed an unusual path and then vanished behind the clouds. The sighting lasted an estimated 20 to 30 seconds.

Because the witness gave a very precise direction of observation, investigators were able to reconstruct the scene on a map. The witness was looking southwest, roughly the same direction as the light northeast wind, so the wind was at their back. In that situation an object carried by the wind appears to move very little sideways, and this was the hypothesis adopted. The colour described resembles that of a Thai lantern, which could have been released at the end of a small private party, a common occurrence on summer evenings. The observation time does seem short for such an object, however.

GEIPAN classed the case as B: probable sighting of a Thai lantern passing by.