Sighting in La Seyne-sur-Mer, July 17, 2021

At around 8:45 p.m., under a clear sky, two people were enjoying the garden at their home. The main witness noticed a luminous object that seemed to come from the direction of Fort Napoléon and moved silently across the sky. The witness told their partner, then got up and moved closer to get a better look.

The object was a bright, smooth sphere, which the witness compared to a pétanque ball. It followed a straight path, descending toward the sea. It stayed in view for about 15 seconds before disappearing behind nearby trees.

Only one of the two witnesses gave an account to the GEIPAN, and there is no photo or video, so the case's consistency is rated as medium. According to the investigation, the object's description and behavior, a wind direction matching its direction of travel, and its relative speed point to a Mylar-type balloon, probably released or lost from Fort Napoléon or its surroundings, perhaps by a child, in a very touristy area in summer. The GEIPAN classified the case as A: observation of a Mylar balloon.