Sighting in Gouvernes, March 7, 2015

Shortly after midnight, a witness driving a car noticed a group of nine red lights in the sky above a nearby hill. They moved quickly and silently in formation. The witness stopped to take photographs, then, once back home, kept watching with their family until the phenomenon disappeared.

GEIPAN found the Thai lantern hypothesis fully consistent with the description. These objects give off little light, roughly like a small garden torch, so they are often thought to be farther away than they really are, which makes them seem larger and faster than they actually are. The wind was light but far from nonexistent, and it is common to feel nothing at ground level. A party on a Friday evening is less usual than on a Saturday, but still common, for example at work or association events, and it is also carnival season. The witness's photo closely matches photos of Thai lanterns. The southeast wind, at 9 to 28 km/h according to the Roissy weather record, fits the observed movement from Guermentes toward Chelles. The case was classed B: probable sighting of Thai lanterns.