Sighting in Grasse, September 15, 2012

At about 1:35 p.m., a witness noticed an elongated, coloured object in the sky, moving silently from the south-southeast toward the north-northeast. An amateur photographer, the witness instinctively took two photographs. They were standing on their balcony, facing into the wind, and watched the object to the southeast. It had a complex shape and a violet-blue colour.

According to the Meteociel record for Nice, a moderate wind was blowing from the southeast to the east. Because the witness was facing the wind, they could not judge its direction accurately. The investigation found that the object's movement was consistent with the wind direction and that its appearance resembled a silver (Mylar) party balloon filled with helium. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probably a party balloon.