Sighting in La Chapelle-Saint-Aubin, August 28, 2010

At around 10:20 p.m., a driver and their passenger noticed eight orange balls in the sky. The balls were arranged in a staggered pattern and moved at an estimated altitude of about 500 metres, along a path running from north toward the south-east. The phenomenon lasted roughly four minutes. The witnesses perceived neither sound nor smell.

Once the gendarmerie report had been received, GEIPAN reconstructed the weather conditions for the place, date and time. The wind was blowing from the north-north-west, which is consistent with objects lighter than air, such as balloons or flying lanterns, drifting toward the south-east. The eight orange balls travelling together along a steady path at low altitude, on a Saturday evening when weddings and parties are common, lent further weight to this explanation. The case was classified B: the witnesses had probably seen a passage of Thai lanterns.