Sighting in La Lande-de-Fronsac, August 3, 2011

A witness saw two separate phenomena in the sky over the Bordeaux area on two different occasions: first in the evening, starting at 9 p.m., and then again a few days later, at around 3:15 in the morning. Only the first sighting is described here.

The movement of the phenomenon seen in the evening seemed consistent with the wind direction, provided the reported positions and directions were interpreted correctly. Its appearance, however, suggested nothing in particular. A hot-air balloon, however unusual, should have been recognizable, especially since the Sun was setting and the sky was free of clouds. The best hypothesis is a lenticular cloud, a rare and therefore surprising phenomenon. Even so, the sunset should have revealed its nature, unless the horizon was blocked by cloud.

The second sighting was a clear case of mistaken identity involving Thai lanterns. For the first sighting, GEIPAN rated the strangeness as moderate but the data as too thin to go further, so the case is classified C (insufficient data) pending new information.