Sighting in Lamotte-Beuvron, October 3, 2018

At around 11 p.m., a witness standing at their front door noticed three coloured points of light arranged in a triangle in a clear, starry sky. They moved slowly and silently, low above the horizon and apparently fairly close to the ground, travelling broadly from east to west without climbing much. The witness photographed them. The lights then vanished quickly along a rising path. This was the only testimony collected, and the witness described a phenomenon that was not very visible and rather brief.

Study of the photos showed low luminosity and a receding effect relative to the witness, who was facing south. The direction and speed of the points matched the wind, which was blowing towards the south-south-east (200°). In one photo, a point that was white in the previous frame was clearly orange, and the IPACO image-processing software indicated "possible lantern", as it did for another point on a second photo. One picture also showed blur in the direction of the wind, and strong contrast enhancement revealed light coming from beneath the points, like a small candle under a paper envelope. The rapid disappearance is explained by the lights drifting away downwind, which gives the impression of a swift departure. A Wednesday is an unusual day for a lantern release, but a birthday, for instance, remains possible. The GEIPAN classified the case as A: Thai lanterns.