Sighting in Le Taillan-Médoc, July 19, 2015
Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Sighting on July 19, 2015 in Le Taillan-Médoc (Gironde, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a sky lantern (class B).
What happened
At about a quarter past midnight, on a Sunday, a witness saw a reddish-orange ball of light for around 30 seconds. It moved quickly from west to east before vanishing into the clouds. The witness took photographs and later noticed bright irregularities on them. Five other people also saw the phenomenon, but only one well-documented questionnaire was collected.
The investigation identified several points consistent with a Thai lantern: a red-orange colour matching that of such lanterns, a short observation time compatible with their lifespan, movement in the direction of the prevailing wind, and no noise. The date, a Saturday evening, is also a typical time for lantern releases during celebrations. The apparent disappearance can be explained by the lantern going out or entering the cloud layer. GEIPAN therefore classified the case as B, a probable Thai lantern.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- July 19, 2015
- Location
- Le Taillan-Médoc · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Sky lanterns
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2015-07-09246
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.